


Harmonic Convergence

by therobotjane



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst, Cooking, Demisexual Midorima, Eventual Rating Hike, Eventual Smut, First Kiss, First Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Midorima's yaoi hands, Possessive Behavior, Size Kink, Tsundere Midorima, Work In Progress, consent is important, fear of disappointment, kagamido - Freeform, midokaga, you are warned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-04
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-03-29 00:17:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 17
Words: 25,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3875290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therobotjane/pseuds/therobotjane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Midorima tries to deal with the feelings he's developed for his rival-turned-friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Strawberries and Sunscreen

**Author's Note:**

> My first attempt at writing something cute. Will update tags as the story progresses. Bless these two idiots.

“What the hell is that?”

Midorima frowned down at the small statue sitting between him and Kagami on the diner table. “What on earth does it look like? It’s a fu dog.”

“A fu dog.”

“Yes, a fu dog. It’s today’s lucky item.”

“Of course it is.” Kagami couldn’t help but grin. The strangeness of Midorima’s daily items was one of his favorite parts of their occasional meetups. “Has anyone ever told you what a complete weirdo you are?”

Midorima flushed as he turned his cold glare on Kagami. “Yes. You. Literally every time we’re in the same room.”

Kagami leaned back in his chair, smiling. “Huh. Fancy that.”

Just then their food arrived. A plate with grilled chicken breast and a variety of vegetables over white rice was laid in front of Midorima. The rest of the tray, containing a dozen hamburgers, was placed in front of Kagami. 

“I don’t know how you eat that stuff,” Midorima remarked as he began carefully cutting his chicken into pieces. An even number, but not divisible by four. Four was unlucky for Cancers today. 

Kagami shrugged and tore into his first burger with all the enthusiasm of a starving animal. “It’s not doing me any harm, right?” he said around a mouthful of meat and bread. Midorima cringed. “I mean, with all my training, I need to eat a lot!”

“The body is a machine, Kagami. The performance you get out of it reflects the fuel you put into it.” Midorima knew this was falling on deaf ears. He’d gotten into this discussion too many times with Kuroko or Murasakibara to think it would accomplish anything. Why was he the only one of the Generation of Miracles that ate like an athlete was supposed to? He nearly choked on his broccoli when he realized he had grouped Kagami into the Generation of Miracles without even thinking about it. 

“See!” Kagami pointed a burger at him triumphantly. “Just as unhealthy. I’ve never choked on a hamburger.”

“You’re an idiot.” 

Kagami grinned, ketchup at the corner of his mouth. His burgerless hand reached up to ruffle the back of his hair. “Yeah, maybe. But you still like me. So what does that make you?”

“A person with the patience of a god.” Midorima glared, adjusting his glasses, but his heart wasn’t in it. He _did_ like Kagami, not that he would ever admit it to the bumbling oaf. He barely admitted it to himself. He was content to just share lunches on occasion, sometimes practice together. Anything to be able to watch Kagami move, listen to his voice. 

“Hey Mido, what’s my lucky item today?”

The question caught Midorima off guard. Kagami had never asked before and Midorima certainly couldn’t tell him that he’d been checking the lucky item for Leos every day for months. “How should I know? And don’t call me ‘Mido’.” Midorima grumbled, shoving another bite of vegetables into his mouth. He did know. And he secretly liked the nickname Kagami had given him. 

Kagami shrugged. “Whatever, I was just curious.”

“Eat your food and be quiet. You know I hate when you talk with your mouth full, which it always is when there’s food around.”

Kagami chuckled and went back to eating, leaving Midorima with the relative silence he needed to deal with the nonsense going on in his head. 

When lunch was finished they split the bill and headed out to the nearest street court. It was abandoned and not surprisingly so; the heat and humidity were terrible and no one but the most dedicated players would be out in that kind of weather. 

They practiced for twenty minutes in the oppressive heat. Midorima stopped twice to reapply his sunscreen. Kagami seemed to have skin made to tan because he showed no sign of burning. 

“You really should put on sunscreen, Kagami. Prolonged exposure to UV rays can damage your skin.” Midorima held out the bottle.

“Why do you care so much about my skin?” Kagami panted as he ran down the court, performing one of his impossible jumps to dunk the ball. 

_Because it’s perfect._ “Because if you die of skin cancer before I can beat you, I’ll be very disappointed.” Midorima gestured with the bottle again, impatience etched on his serious face.

Kagami sighed and set the ball down between his feet. Midorima tossed him the bottle of sunscreen, which arced perfectly into Kagami’s waiting hands. 

Kagami rubbed the sunscreen over his arms up to his shoulders before shrugging and pulling off his shirt. It was very hot out and it was a perfectly reasonable thing to do. Midorima averted his eyes. 

“Oi, Midorima, I can’t reach my back. Help me out?”

Midorima flushed but the heat could be blamed for that. It was a perfectly normal request between two guys practicing basketball outside on a hot summer day. “Can’t you do anything by yourself?” Midorima muttered. He crossed to Kagami and held out his hand for the sunscreen. 

Kagami laughed. “I guess not, Mido. I need you around to take care of me.”

“Idiot.” But Midorima was smiling behind Kagami’s back, where he wouldn’t be seen. He squeezed sunscreen into his hands and worked it into Kagami’s back, probably taking longer than necessary, making it more of a massage than was strictly required. Kagami’s shoulders were ridiculously broad and, even though Midorima was the taller of the two, those wide shoulders made him feel small.

Kagami groaned, a sound that made Midorima’s stomach clench. “Damn, Midorima. That feels great.”

Midorima dropped his hands suddenly, overwhelmed with embarrassment. “Bring your own sunscreen next time. You’re so big, you’ve used all mine.”

“You’re the one that offered it!”

Another hour passed under the pounding sun, little heat waves rising off the pavement. Kagami and Midorima were evenly matched. Midorima was there to block every one of Kagami’s dunks and Kagami could jump high enough to block Midorima’s three-pointers. Neither of them had scored a single point. They slumped on the bench, exhausted, chugging their water like they’d been in the desert for a month. 

“It’s getting late,” Kagami commented, glancing at his phone for the time. 

“Kagami, before you go--” Midorima dug in his bag, pulling a small Tupperware container out of a thermal lunch box. “Here.” He shoved the box at Kagami. “You need to replenish your body after exercise.”

Kagami popped open the lid and peered at the contents. Inside were neatly sliced strawberries covered with a slight dusting of sugar. He smiled. “Thanks, Mido.”

“Just make sure you eat them, idiot.”

They parted ways, each heading toward their homes. 

Strawberries were the lucky item of the day for Leos.


	2. Eye Patches and Palm Trees

A week passed. Training sessions with their actual teams took precedence, obviously. But Midorima was looking forward to Saturday afternoon, to the lunch date with Kagami. That morning found him at the local park, watching a game of street ball and idly rolling his basketball back and forth between his hands. 

“Shin-chan!” The shout echoed across the court, drawing the attention of the players and allowing one opportunistic fellow to score. 

Midorima groaned. Takao was pounding across the pavement in his direction, waving furiously. 

“I see you, Takao. You don’t have to make a scene.”

Takao slid on to the bench next to Midorima, breathing heavily from his mad dash across the parking lot. “Hey! I was looking for you!” His easy smile was open and friendly, as always. 

“You’ve found me. Was there something you needed?”

Takao pointed to the eyepatch that Midorima was wearing. “Lucky item?”

“Of course. Now what is it that you want?”

“Me and a couple of the others wanted you to come practice with us.” Takao’s smile only got wider.

“Is it an official team practice?”

“Well, no, but--”

“Then I’m afraid I must decline. I have previous plans.”

Takao’s smile fell, but only by a fraction. “Right, it’s Saturday. Meeting up with Kagami again? You’ve been spending an awful lot of time with him.”

“Certainly. He’s a powerful player.”

“Oh. Right.” Takao had stopped smiling entirely. “Well. Later, Shin-chan.” It wasn’t until he had slunk off with a hangdog air that it occurred to Midorima that he may have hurt Takao’s feelings.

The streetball game eventually petered out as the players remembered other things they needed to be doing. Midorima sank a couple of threes from underneath the opposing basket, waiting for the alarm on his phone to signal. When it did, he hefted his gym bag and headed for the diner. 

Kagami was already outside, leaning against the wall, his hands stuffed in his pockets. Midorima slowed his steps, enjoying the view while Kagami was unaware of his presence. The sunlight glinted off of Kagami’s mop of hair, making it shine like rubies, and kissed his tanned skin. Midorima hitched a contemptuous look on to his face. 

“Don’t you know how to tell time? You’re always early and--”

Midorima was cut off as Kagami suddenly lunged at his face, taking it in his large hands. Midorima’s heart thudded wildly even as his eyes widened and he stumbled backward. 

“What the hell happened to your eye? Are you alright?” Kagami’s dark eyes were full of genuine concern.

Spooked, Midorima pushed Kagami’s hands away brusquely. “Idiot! Of course I’m fine! Today’s lucky item is an eyepatch. That’s all.” He continued to glare, carefully adjusting his glasses around the offending patch, disconcerted by the way his skin was tingling where Kagami’s hands had been. 

Kagami looked angry for a moment then started to laugh. Big, booming laughs that drew the eyes of passersby. Heat rose to Midorima’s cheeks. He turned away and tried to look to all the world like he was profoundly annoyed with the braying moron behind him. 

When his laughter started to die down, Kagami managed between chuckles, “You’re wearing...an eyepatch...and I’m...the idiot?”

Midorima glared, his green eyes flashing cold. “The Oha Asa has never let me down.”

Kagami’s smile turned soft. He patted Midorima on the shoulder. “Whatever makes you happy, Mido.”

_You make me happy._ “Are we going to lunch or are we just going to stand in public so you can mock me all day?”

“Tempting, but I’m hungry. Ramen?”

Midorima shrugged.

The ramen shop was running an All You Can Eat lunch special, which was a recipe for bankruptcy with Kagami around. Eventually Midorima put his foot down.

“We’re leaving.” Midorima stood, shouldering his gym bag. 

“Aww come on, Midorima! The sign says All You Can Eat!” Kagami was still shoveling food into his mouth as he spoke, a stack of bowls piled next to him, oblivious to the glares of the shop’s employees.

“They assumed they would be feeding human beings, not bottomless pits or the avatars of hunger gods.” He reached out and tugged on the fabric of Kagami’s shirt, noting how warm it was. “We won’t have time to practice at all if we stay here until you’re full.”

Somehow heaving a huge sigh while simultaneously drinking the broth in the bottom of his bowl, Kagami finally stood. They paid the bill and were politely asked not to come back. 

“See what you did, you oaf? Now we’ll have to find another ramen shop.”

“I can make ramen.” Kagami tossed the information out like it was nothing. 

Midorima’s heart thudded. “So? It’s probably terrible.”

“Nah, I’m actually a pretty good cook. Have to be when you live alone, you know?” 

Midorima rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “I don’t believe you.”

“Why don’t you come by my place next week? I’ll make ramen.”

Glancing over to see if Kagami was joking, Midorima couldn’t help but notice the small smile on his lips. It wasn’t a mocking smile. He looked pleased with himself.

“Fine. Just be aware that poisoning a member of an opposing team is considered poor sportsmanship.”

Kagami laughed and clapped Midorima on the back, sending him stumbling. 

They arrived at the court. Kagami brought his own sunscreen this time. Midorima helped him apply it, grumbling the whole time while the small sounds of pleasure that Kagami made tore him apart.

Their practice went as it always did. Grueling and exhausting with no points scored, leaving them both drained but happy. 

“You know, it’s pretty impressive that you can still shoot like that with only one eye,” Kagami commented. He took a huge swig from his water bottle then squirted some on his head. 

“The Oha Asa wouldn’t impede me. True precision comes from trust in the stars.” Midorima would never admit it, but Kagami’s praise filled him with warmth. 

Shrugging and trying to hide a smile, Kagami dug through his bag but came up empty-handed. 

“Looks like I forgot my towel.” Kagami looked up, shamefaced, at Midorima. 

“Again? Of course you did. You’d forget your shorts if you wouldn’t get arrested without them. Idiot.” Midorima reached into his bag and pulled out a beach towel with a festive summer print: palm trees, beach balls, sunglasses, and pineapples on a sky blue background. “You’re lucky I always carry a spare.” That was a lie. He had never carried a spare until he started practicing with Kagami. 

Kagami frowned at the towel. It was awfully ugly. He sighed. “Beggars can’t be choosers,” he muttered before toweling himself off. He held the towel back out to Midorima when he was done. 

Midorima cringed away, looking disdainfully at the towel. “Disgusting. Wash it before returning it to me.”

Kagami scowled for a moment before tucking the sweaty towel into his own bag. He turned to leave but stopped almost immediately. “What’s my lucky item today?” he asked over his shoulder. 

“Can’t you check your own horoscope?” Midorima demanded, embarrassed that Kagami might have caught him staring. 

Smiling, Kagami replied, “Sure, but it’s kind of your thing. See you next week, Mido. My place. I’ll have your ugly towel washed by then.”

“Stop calling me ‘Mido’!” 

Midorima stood there for a moment, watching Kagami’s retreating back. He was a good cook? That was unexpected.

The day’s lucky item for Leos was palm trees and their lucky color was blue.


	3. The Ramen and The Rainstorm

Midorima stood outside of Kagami’s house for several minutes, a knot of anxiety nesting somewhere in his chest. If he didn’t knock soon, he would be late and run the risk of Kagami peering out of the window and spotting him. Not knowing if he was supposed to bring something, he clutched a liter of his favorite red bean drink in his right hand. His gym bag was thrown over his shoulder but, again unaware of protocol, he had worn normal clothes and his basketball attire was stashed in his bag. 

His hand poised to knock, he took a deep breath. “Man proposes, God disposes,” he whispered to himself before letting his knuckles hit the door. Several seconds passed, with his nerves getting worse and worse by the moment. 

Finally the door swung open. Kagami smiled, fluffing his hair with a towel, the shoulders of his t-shirt slightly damp. “Sorry! I was just getting out of the shower. I hope that was the first time you knocked.”

Midorima nodded, momentarily unable to speak. He held out the container of iced red bean while keeping firm eye contact with Kagami’s left foot. 

Kagami took the bottle. “Cool. Come on in.” He stepped out of the way and gestured Midorima to come inside. 

With a deep breath, Midorima stepped across the threshold. It was dimmer than the sunny summer day outside and his eyes took a moment to adjust. Kagami’s home was sparsely furnished but comfortable looking. Everything was in warm, earthy tones of browns and reds. And it smelled delicious. 

Kagami waved him into the dining room. “Here, come sit down! I’ll get some glasses and serve the ramen, okay?”

Midorima nodded again, still taking in his surroundings. He seated himself at the table, in the chair that faced the kitchen. Kagami was bustling around, pulling glasses down from the cabinet and wrangling bowls. A burst of steam rose out of the pot as Kagami lifted the lid, sending another torrent of savory smells through the house. 

Kagami sat a bowl in front of Midorima with a flourish and a grin. Midorima looked down, half expecting something horrible. 

“I hope you like it.” Kagami ruffled the back of his hair. “You’re way more picky than I am, so I made sure all of the ingredients were things I’ve seen you eat.”

Dainty slices of pork sat in a neat fan on one side of the bowl, thin slices of chicken adorned the other. Green onion and cabbage floated in the thick broth, mingling with the noodles. Midorima inhaled. “This is tonkotsu.” 

“Yep! Everyone loves tonkotsu!”

Tonkotsu took three days to prepare.

“Kagami, you really didn’t have to.”

“Hey, you questioned my cooking ability! Now dig in while it’s still hot!” Kagami sat himself across the table and started to eat. He looked smug.

Midorima raised a spoonful of the broth to his lips, sipping it cautiously. The creamy flavor of the pork broth rolled over his tongue, complete with hints of ginger and sesame. It was divine. And Kagami had spent three days cooking it. For him. Midorima smiled, his smile hidden by the ramen spoon. 

Through a mouthful of noodles, Kagami asked, “You like it?”

“Yes. It’s very good. You were right, you are a good cook.”

Kagami seemed taken aback by Midorima’s blunt compliment. “Well, uh, thanks, Mido.”

They ate in companionable silence, the only sounds coming from Kagami’s slurping and chomping. 

Once the pot was empty, Kagami pushed his bowl away and sat back in his chair, leaning precariously on the back legs. “Hey, where’s your lucky item?” He mimed looking all over the table, even underneath. “You didn’t bring any weird stuff with you today!”

Midorima held up his right arm. Strapped to his wrist was a Mickey Mouse watch. 

“The watch or the mouse?”

“The watch.” Midorima scowled.

“Was that the only one they had or…?”

Midorima adjusted his glasses. “I like the mouse.”

Kagami laughed, his sweet, honest laugh. “Weirdo.”

Suddenly, thunder rumbled outside, followed immediately by the sounds of a downpour. 

“Well, damn. Sounds like we’re not practising today.”

“It certainly does,” Midorima replied, but his mind was racing. He hadn’t seen anything about a sudden storm tonight. He hadn’t brought an umbrella and had no money with him to take the bus. It would be a long, wet walk home if the storm didn’t let up soon. 

Kagami stood and gestured for Midorima to follow. “Well, come on. No sense sitting at the kitchen table. We’ll just...hang out.” He sounded almost as daunted by the prospect as Midorima was. 

They had basketball in common and that was enough. However, it made the proposal of spending an afternoon indoors a little intimidating. Midorima wasn’t sure what he expected to find in Kagami’s bedroom. Piles of filthy jerseys? Stacks of magazines covered with blushing schoolgirls? A bed made out of hamburger wrappers? He got the sudden sinking feeling that his affection for Kagami was about to take a serious hit.

Kagami opened a door that had a sign reading **Kagami Taiga #10 Seirin High School** tacked to it. The same thing he’d written on Midorima’s hand when they’d first met. His room was surprisingly clean. The dirty jerseys were in a hamper and there wasn’t a questionable magazine in sight, though a couple copies of Shonen Jump lay next to the bed. Kagami’s bed was western-styled instead of a futon. The room smelled like Kagami’s skin.

“I’ve got video games and board games or we could watch a movie.” Kagami was turning in a circle in the middle of the room, searching nervously for something to keep them busy while the storm raged overhead. “What do you do in your spare time?”

“Study.” Midorima was still looking around. He was surprised to find that along with back issues of shonen manga, Kagami’s bookshelves held actual books.

“Right. That makes sense.”

Midorima stood awkwardly for a moment. “We could watch a movie.”

Kagami smiled hugely. “Alright!” He bent down to a rack that held dozens of DVDs. “Okay, so I’ve got--”

Midorima cut him off. “You pick.” Kagami glanced up questioningly. “I’m sure the movies you have are stupid anyway.”

Kagami rolled his eyes and grabbed a movie off the shelf. 

Two hours later, when the movie was over, it was still storming and getting dark. 

“I should go.” Midorima was already calculating how much longer his walk home would be in the pouring rain. 

“Did you bring an umbrella?”

Midorima bristled. “No, I didn’t. Because the weather did not predict rain. Obviously.”

“I’d offer you one but mine got broken and I haven’t replaced it yet.”

“It’s fine.” Midorima heaved himself up off the floor, since he’d refused to sit on the bed with Kagami. 

“Why don’t you just sleep over here tonight? I’ll take the couch, you can have my bed.”

Midorima’s heart tried to crawl out through his throat. Kagami was rustling around under the bathroom sink.

“I think I’ve even…yes, I’ve got a spare toothbrush in here. Got it at my last dental appointment…”

Kagami was pawing through the linen closet in the hall. 

“See? Spare blankets. Plus, the couch is comfy.”

Kagami was walking down the hall with the blankets in his arms, taking the decision out of the stunned Midorima’s hands. 

In a sort of daze, Midorima changed into his basketball shorts and jersey, thinking that they made a reasonable pair of pajamas. He brushed his teeth, barely noticing the flavor of the toothpaste.

Kagami’s bed was soft and smelled like him. Midorima burrowed into the sheets, breathing deeply.

“Hey Mido!” Kagami’s voice drifted down the hallway. “What’s my lucky item for today?”

Midorima smiled, nuzzling his face into Kagami’s pillow. “Shut up and go to sleep, idiot.”

Soon Kagami’s snores echoed through the house. Midorima was annoyed at first but swiftly realized that the soft, steady snoring was lulling him to sleep. 

The lucky item of the day for Leos was a mouse.


	4. The Tiger and The Kiss

Morning sunlight peeked through the crack in the curtains, cutting a bright streak across Kagami’s bedroom. Midorima squinched his eyes and rolled over, snuggling deeper into the sheets. _Kagami…_ He awoke with a start, eyes flying open, wide in panic. What was he doing in Kagami’s bed? 

The night before came flooding back, making him blush furiously. He had to get out of this place. Quickly. Before Kagami woke up. He couldn’t stand to face him like this, bed-headed and first-thing-in-the-morning-aroused. But first he had to check his horoscope. And retape his fingers. And brush his teeth. Twice. He nearly screamed in frustration, his obsessive need for routine overriding everything else, making his skin itch to go through those motions. 

Kagami’s heavy footfalls could be heard somewhere else in the house. The sounds of water splashing and dishes clinking ground at Midorima’s nerves as he scrambled for his phone and the roll of athletic tape he always kept in his bag. 

When Kagami finally knocked on the door several minutes later, Midorima was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed, hair and teeth brushed, carefully wrapping the fingers of his left hand in tape. 

“It’s your room, you don’t have to knock.”

“I figured I’d give you a minute, in case, you know…” Kagami opened the door and peeked his head in.

“In case what?” Midorima glared.

Kagami turned slightly pink. “In case you were changing or something.”

“Idiot. I’d go in the bathroom.” Midorima lifted his hand to his mouth and ripped the tape with his teeth. He flexed his fingers a few times, making sure that the fit was right, even though he knew it would be. He reached for his phone. 

Kagami just watched for a moment, amusement written all over his face. “I made breakfast, if you’re hungry. I know I am.”

“You’re always hungry.” Midorima was clicking away rapidly at his phone’s keys. “And I’m busy right now.”

“Suit yourself.” Kagami shrugged and left the room. 

Midorima’s eyes flicked swiftly over his Oha Asa horoscope for the day. **Cancer. Daily luck: moderate. Lucky color: red. Lucky number: ten.** Not great, but not terrible either. **Lucky item: tiger.** He had a stuffed tiger at home, thanks to it being a previous day’s lucky item. That was easy enough. 

He checked the fortune of the day for Leos. Good luck, lucky color pink, lucky item… Midorima’s eyebrows knitted together. 

Kagami burst back into the room. He had apparently finished breakfast and changed, as he was wearing shorts and one of his Seirin jerseys. His basketball was tucked under one arm. 

“Want to get in a little one-on-one before you head home? It’s still early and you’re already dressed for it.”

Midorima looked up from his phone, startled by the sudden intrusion despite having just told Kagami not to bother knocking. He glared and adjusted his glasses.

“I really shouldn’t. I need to get home.” Midorima’s mind was far away, focused on the stuffed tiger he knew was sitting on his dresser, wondering how on earth he was supposed to secure Kagami’s item before leaving.

“Oh, come on! Just for a little bit. What’s the rush?”

Midorima gestured with his phone. “My lucky item is at home.”

“What’s your lucky item for today? Maybe I can help.”

The kindness of Kagami’s words left Midorima momentarily speechless but he rallied quickly. “I doubt it. I didn’t notice any tigers hiding under your bed.”

“A tiger?” Kagami repeated the word in English. He laughed. “What about me? I’m a Taiga, is that close enough?” He tried to strike a ferocious pose but just looked ridiculous. Midorima felt a laugh tickling the back of his throat and fought it down. “I’ll be your lucky item today, Mido.”

Midorima’s heart was filling up, he could feel it in his chest, expanding with warmth and happiness and it was all the fault of this bumbling moron. He wanted to resent it but he couldn’t make himself. He narrowed his eyes at Kagami. “I suppose it will do until I can get home. Idiot.”

“That’s the spirit!” Kagami grinned. “Let me get my sneakers and we’ll head out!”

Midorima packed his things and pulled on his own sneakers, reciting the shoe-tying rabbit poem under his breath as he tied the laces. Right foot first, then left. Cuff the socks once. He shouldered his gym bag and went to the front room, where Kagami was pacing slightly, rolling the basketball between his hands. 

“Isn’t a quick game the best way to start the morning?” Kagami faked throwing the ball at Midorima, who merely arched one brow in response. “Other than breakfast, of course.”

“Can we go? I’ve got better things to do today than watch you hop around like a stupid child.”

Kagami faked passing the ball again, this time pointed directly at Midorima’s face, before heading out the door. 

The weather was lovely. The rain had cooled things off and given a fresh flush of green to the trees and grass. There were puddles here and there on the pavement but nothing too deep. It was probably still a little wet for basketball but both Kagami and Midorima knew to be careful in such conditions. 

Their game was more vigorous than usual, both of them full of early morning energy. Kagami successfully juked around Midorima’s defense, launching himself obscenely high for a dunk, but Midorima managed to tap the ball at the last second, knocking it aside. Kagami cursed and reset to center court. 

Midorima returned to center court as well and immediately dodged left, using his superior speed to hit the very edge of the court before Kagami could reach him. He shot from there, the ball arcing unnecessarily high to avoid a block. Kagami ran to the net, determined to block the ball before it went through. He touched it but not hard enough to deflect it completely. It sank, giving Midorima a point. 

Midorima adjusted his glasses and reset to center court. 

Kagami looked furious but it was hard to tell if it was directed at Midorima or himself. “You won’t be scoring again.”

“I keep telling you that threes are superior.” Midorima smirked.

“You only scored because your lucky item is so incredible.” Kagami’s anger was already dying away, apparently not directed at Midorima at all. 

Midorima allowed himself to breathe easily again. He would never play poorly to let Kagami win; that would be far more insulting that losing a game could ever be. However, the idea of Kagami being actually angry at him made his stomach hurt. “I don’t know, you don’t seem very ferocious. Perhaps you’ve been declawed?”

Kagami grinned. “You’re going to regret that.”

“I’d like to see you make me.”

Kagami rushed in suddenly, taking Midorima off-guard. Midorima moved to block but Kagami switched hands in mid-air, sinking a point for himself. He hung from the rim for a moment, shouting triumphantly, before dropping to his feet. 

“Declawed?” Kagami laughed exuberantly, his mouth stretched in a wide, honest smile. He leaned his face close to Midorima’s. “I’ll be your tiger any time you need me to, Mido!”

Suddenly, the ground seemed to shift under Midorima’s feet and time stood still. He could, with every fiber of his being, feel the stars moving, aligning. Kagami’s hair glinted red in the sunlight. His jersey number was ten. His lucky item…

Man proposes, God disposes.

Midorima leaned forward ever so slightly and laid a small, gentle kiss on Kagami’s cheek. The salty dampness of Kagami’s sweat touched his lips with heat. Time resumed with a lurch.

Kagami stopped talking suddenly and just stood there. His eyes found Midorima’s. His look was questioning. 

Midorima felt like he was going to throw up. He blushed painfully hot. “I’m sorry, I have to go,” he mumbled as he dashed off the court, grabbing his bag as he passed the bench. 

“Wait!” Kagami’s voice followed him, but Midorima didn’t look back. “Mido, wait!” Kagami’s voice grew fainter. “Mido! You haven’t told me what my lucky item is! Midorima!” 

Midorima shook with a silent sob and settled his face into its usual mask of disdain. Stupid Kagami. Idiot. Bumbling moron. Ridiculous oaf. 

He didn’t stop running until he reached his own doorstep.

The lucky item of the day for Leos was a kiss.


	5. Faking Sick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I call Midorima's little sister "Imouto" because that's the Japanese title for a little sister. She calls him "Aniki" so they're both using titles.

Days passed. Midorima threw himself into his studies and practice, trying hard to stay busy. His obsessive dependence on his horoscope only got worse, fueled by his shortened temper. He couldn’t believe himself, that he’d actually done it, that he’d kissed Kagami. The stars had guided him so he knew he hadn’t done anything wrong, but his embarrassment was overwhelming. He kept picturing the look on Kagami’s face, the gentle query in his dark eyes. 

Friday found Midorima reclining on his futon, exhausted from a particularly brutal practice session and freshly showered. A copy of Romance of the Three Kingdoms was held in his right hand but the words weren’t making much sense. He read the same paragraph for a third time. 

Midorima’s phone chirped, yanking him out of his reverie. Probably Kise or Takao. They were constantly texting him despite the fact that he rarely replied. He put the book down and picked up the phone from his bedside table.

**Kagami Taiga : hey r we hanging out tomorrow??**

Did that bumbling idiot really have the audacity to ask? The phone chirped again.

**Kagami Taiga : bc i found this great korean place i thought u might like**

Midorima’s heart pounded. Another chirp.

**Kagami Taiga : tho u might not lol i know ur picky about food**

Midorima managed to get his fingers moving even though they were tingling. 

**I cannot attend tomorrow. I am very ill.**

His phone chirped again almost immediately. 

**Kagami Taiga : r u alright??**

**Of course I’m alright, idiot. Now leave me alone. I’m going to bed.**

Midorima stared at the screen for several minutes, half-hoping that Kagami would ignore his request and continue texting. Eventually he gave up and sat the phone back on the table. He laid back on his futon, fully intending to actually go to bed early. He’d have to spend tomorrow indoors to support his lie. He didn’t want to face Kagami but he also didn’t want to get caught lying to him. 

The phone chirped. Midorima dove at it, unreasonably eager. 

**Kagami Taiga : goodnight mido**

Midorima fell asleep with his phone in his hand. 

The next morning dawned hazy and wet, a slight cool rain pattering through fog. Midorima woke and went through his rituals. Once his teeth were brushed and his fingers taped, he settled in to read his horoscope.

**Cancer. Daily luck: exceptional. Lucky color: green.** So far, so good. **Lucky number: seven.** Even better! **Lucky item: melons.** He didn’t think that they had any melons in the house, so he might have to risk a trip to the combini after all. If anyone asked, he could say he was buying cold medicine. It did seem a shame to waste such a terrifically lucky day indoors, though. Midorima wished that he hadn’t lied to Kagami.

The horoscope for Leos was almost as positive as his. Good luck, the color orange, the number 12, and a panda. Pandas were very lucky. Midorima owned several of them. They were arranged neatly on top of his dresser, bigger ones in the back and smaller ones in the front, giant pandas and red pandas. Midorima sighed. This was the first Saturday in months that Kagami would have to go without his lucky item. 

The morning drifted away. Midorima studied for a bit, figuring that he might as well use this time for something productive. When he could hear his family stirring in other parts of the house, he got dressed to go to the combini in search of melons. 

Just then a small head with green pigtails peeked through the door. “Aniki, someone’s at the door for you!”

“What?” Midorima was confused. It was probably just Takao looking to practice but he usually didn’t come by so early. “Tell whoever it is that I’m sick and to go away.”

“No way! He’s scary, I’m not gonna talk to him!” Little feet pattered away, thumping down the stairs. 

“Imouto!” Midorima shouted but he knew it was pointless. His little sister was unstoppable once she set her mind to something. He sighed. Scary? Who could be here that was scary? His sister knew all of the guys on the Shutoku team. 

Heavy footfalls echoed up the stairwell. Kise? Midorima sat back down at his desk, facing away from the door, trying to look busy and also sick. 

The door swung open. “Mido?”

Midorima’s stomach gave a lurch. Suddenly looking ill wasn’t a challenge. He turned in his chair, trying not to look panicked. And failing. 

Kagami was standing just inside the door, looking far too large for Midorima’s bedroom. Midorima got the sudden mental image of a bull in a teashop except that it was Kagami knocking over all of his lucky items. 

Looking nervous and supremely out of place, Kagami held up the brown paper bag in his hands. “You said you were sick so I brought soup.”

The shocked pallor of Midorima’s face was replaced with a blush. “You...what?”

Kagami shifted the bag to one arm and ruffled his hair with his free hand. “Chicken soup is good when you’re sick, right?” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I made it myself, last night, after you texted.”

Midorima could feel his eyes stinging. He took a deep breath to calm the ache in his heart. “Idiot. You shouldn’t come over when people are sick. You’ll just get sick too.”

“Eh, I can handle it.” Kagami grinned and stepped further into the room. He sat the paper bag on Midorima’s desk, getting close enough that Midorima could smell him. Looking around the room, he commented, “Man, you’ve got a lot of weird stuff.”

Midorima adjusted his glasses. “My items bring me good fortune.” He reached into the bag and pulled out the container of soup. Thick egg noodles swam in broth, along with chicken, carrots, and celery. He pulled off the lid and sniffed. It smelled delicious. 

“It’s not as good as it could be. I didn’t have much time and really the broth should simmer for longer but I did what I could.” Kagami laughed, a little self-deprecatingly. He sat cross-legged on the floor near the desk.

The soup was as delicious as it smelled. Midorima sipped tentatively at it before fishing out a spoon from the bag. There was something else in the bottom of the bag, another container. He leaned forward, intending to peer inside. 

Kagami crumpled the top of the bag shut. “No dessert before you eat.”

Midorima glared but diligently ate his soup. While his imaginary illness was unaffected, it did fill his stomach with warmth. And eating meant that he didn’t have to talk. 

Kagami sat quietly, smiling, watching Midorima eat and occasionally glancing around to marvel at the bizarre array of odds and ends in the room. Stuffed animals covered two dressers. Knickknacks littered shelves that were so haphazardly placed that Midorima must have hung them as he needed them with little regard for their location. 

Once the soup was gone, Midorima reached into the bag and pulled out the second container, still trying to put off talking to Kagami. The container itself was a cheerful shade of lime green. Inside were cubes of honeydew melon. Midorima’s heart pounded in his chest and his head spun.

Suddenly Midorima stood, as if he had just remembered something important. He leaned across his desk and pulled a small, stuffed red panda down from it. He held it out to Kagami. “Here, hold this for me.”

Kagami took the plush panda, the creature’s fluffy orange fur peeking out from between his fingers. He sat silently for several moments, staring into the black plastic eyes of the panda.

“How long?” Kagami’s voice was soft, the way one would speak to a spooked animal.

Midorima swallowed the piece of melon he’d been chewing. “How long what?” He glared coldly, keeping his face neutral, but inside he was suddenly terrified. 

“How long have you been making sure I have my lucky item too?”

Midorima sneered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I checked the Oha Asa this morning.”

Kagami’s voice sounded like it was coming from a million miles away, it was so dulled by the rushing in Midorima’s ears. 

“I wanted to make sure you had your item even though you were stuck at home. That’s why I brought melons.” Kagami looked up at Midorima, his eyebrows knit together, the look on his face like someone trying to solve a particularly difficult math problem. “So how long?”

Midorima sat the container of melons down on his desk with a thud. His eyes were narrowed in anger, his cheeks flushed. “Since we started practicing together! Idiot! You forgot your towel that first time and I thought ‘this moron can use all the help he can get’!” He glared at Kagami as hard as he’d ever glared at anyone, no mean feat. 

“You’re really sweet in your own screwed up way, aren’t you?”

Midorima’s eyes darted across Kagami’s face, searching for a hint of mocking, for an insult. He found none.

Tilting his head slightly, Kagami met Midorima’s eyes. “Is that why you kissed me?” His voice was soft, so soft it could barely be heard. 

“Of course that’s why I kissed you, you oaf!”

Kagami nodded. “But is that the only reason?” Midorima didn’t reply. “I mean, we could have stopped at the combini and bought some Hershey Kisses.” Still nothing. “Mido? Was that the only reason?” Kagami was leaning forward, placing his hand on Midorima’s knee, peering up at him with those dark, gentle eyes. 

The ground was spinning, Midorima was sure of it. The floor of his room and the stars in the sky were spinning, making him unbearably dizzy. He felt faint. The heat of Kagami’s hand was burning his knee through the fabric of his trousers. Somehow without noticing, Midorima found his hands cupping Kagami’s face. He didn’t know if he’d put them there or if Kagami had. Everything was so nebulous. Man proposes, God disposes. Their lips touched.


	6. Fire and Ice Cream

Fire. There was fire everywhere. Every inch of Midorima’s body was on fire. He wanted to cry out but Kagami was still kissing him, gloriously kissing him, setting him aflame. 

The kiss started out chaste, tentative, uncertain, but as Midorima yielded, Kagami took over. In a rush, Kagami’s body was over his, hands in his emerald hair, hot tongue pushing into his mouth. Eons passed as their lips pressed together, as they tasted each other. 

Eventually reality reasserted itself. They broke apart. Kagami’s eyes searched Midorima’s face, questioning. He seemed happy with what he saw. He smiled.

This close, Midorima noticed for the first time that Kagami’s deep red irises had the tiniest flecks of gold. He stared, entranced. _Kagami has got stars in his eyes._ He shook his head to clear it. “Idiot. You shouldn’t kiss someone who is sick.”

Kagami laughed his big, honest laugh. “I might be an idiot, but you like it.” He reached out to brush a stray hair from Midorima’s face.

Midorima scowled but he couldn’t argue that, not any more. “I was content with the arrangement that we had.” _I don’t want things to become strange between us, I don’t want things to go wrong._

“Really? Because I know I wasn’t.” Kagami turned slightly pink. “I don’t mean that I didn’t enjoy being your friend because I did. I just…” He waffled one hand in the direction of Midorima’s face. “You’re so damn cute with your pretty eyelashes and the way you look at me when you think I’m not looking.”

Blood was pounding in Midorima’s ears again. There was no way these rapid blood pressure changes were good for him. How long had Kagami known about his feelings? Surely he would die of embarrassment. Midorima adjusted his glasses, forcing his face into its mask of neutrality. _Kagami thinks I’m cute._ “Sometimes I cannot believe how stupid you are.”

Kagami scowled before taking a deep breath. “Midorima, will you do us both a favor and just shut up for a minute?” 

Midorima opened his mouth to reply, his eyes narrow and cold, but Kagami got there first. His kiss was met with a small protesting noise that almost immediately turned into a sigh.

Kagami pulled away with a smug grin on his face. “Good to know _that_ works.” 

Midorima adjusted his glasses, which had been genuinely knocked askew by the force of Kagami’s sloppy kissing. “Clumsy oaf.”

Just then Kagami’s phone buzzed. He flipped it open and glanced at the screen, a petulant look crossing his face. “I forgot, I said I’d practice with Kuroko if the weather cleared because you weren’t feeling up to it. I didn’t expect, you know, this.” He looked down at the screen again. “I’ll just tell Kuroko that, uh, something came up.”

Midorima nearly choked over Kagami’s phrasing, heat flooding his cheeks. _I need time to deal with this._ “No, don’t skip practice because I’m ill.”

“You sure? I don’t mind taking care of you like a good boyfriend!” Kagami grinned.

_Boyfriend?_ Midorima cleared his throat. What had he gotten himself into? “No, I’m quite sure that I’ll be fine. It would be incredibly stupid to cancel your previous plans simply because I’m under the weather.”

Kagami shrugged. “If you say so.” He rose to his feet and starting packing up the tupperware that he’d brought over. Before leaving, he swept in for one last quick kiss. “Miss me, Mido?”

Midorima nodded, his voice trapped in his throat. Kagami left, closing the door gently behind him. Midorima could hear his little sister’s feet fleeing down the hallway, apparently afraid of the ‘scary’ guy. 

Left alone in his room, Midorima’s head collapsed into his hands. This was all too much, too fast. He couldn’t keep up. He had been happy with their friendship. Well, maybe not happy, but content. He got to be near Kagami, to watch him play basketball, to listen to his laugh. But he had still been far enough away to protect himself. Now he was in danger of getting hurt. What if he did something wrong?

Sitting up straight and shaking his head, Midorima raised the fingers of his right hand to his lips. Kagami had kissed him. Willingly and enthusiastically. Kagami liked him back. 

That realization hit Midorima like a ton of bricks. In all of his hazy daydreams about the idiot, he’d never thought that Kagami would like him back. He hadn’t even known that Kagami was inclined that way. 

Now his imagination was running away from him. Were they boyfriends? Kagami had said that word like it was no big deal. 

If they were boyfriends, would they do the sort of things that boyfriends do? Go on dates? Exchange sweet words? Fall in love? Be…intimate?

Midorima shifted awkwardly, uncomfortably aware of the effect that thought had on him. The lingering taste of Kagami on his lips wasn’t helping. He needed to find something else to do. He decided that he would walk up to the combini after all. 

A tiny knock sounded on his bedroom door.

“Have you decided to come out of hiding, Imouto?” Midorima smiled.

The door swung open and the small, green-haired girl catapulted into the room, wrapping her arms around Midorima’s neck. “Who was that scary man, Aniki?”

Midorima tugged one of the little girl’s pigtails. “That was Kagami. He’s my...friend. And he’s not scary. He brought me soup.”

The girl considered for a moment. “Well. I guess if he was nice to my Aniki then he’s probably okay, huh?”

“Yes, he’s okay.” Midorima smiled down at his little sister. “I was about to walk up to the combini. Do you want to come with me?”

His Imouto grinned hugely, showing her missing front teeth. “Can I ride on your shoulders? And will you buy me ice cream?”

“I guess so, but you have to promise not to pull my hair this time.”

“Deal!” The little girl bolted off down the stairs to tell their mother and get her shoes. 

Midorima picked up his phone, intending to just put it in his pocket. Instead he flipped it open and started typing. 

**How is practice going?**

His phone chirped almost immediately. **Kagami Taiga: i just got here but pretty good! how u feeling?**

**Your soup really helped. I’m about to take my sister to get ice cream.**

**Kagami Taiga: im glad it helped :) i think i scared ur sis tho...**

**Kagami Taiga: kuroko says hi btw**

Midorima frowned at his phone, unsure of why that made him unhappy.

**Kagami Taiga: but dont worry, hes not my type :P i prefer tall green haired guys with pretty lashes and rooms full of weird stuff**

Midorima caught himself grinning. The idiot was actually really sweet.

**And I tend toward giant, bumbling idiots, apparently.**

**Kagami Taiga: Who happen 2 b great kissers?**

Midorima blushed.

**Yes. Now get back to practice.**

He tucked his phone away, unable to continue that conversation and be productive at the same time. Midorima’s little sister was waiting impatiently at the front door, hopping up and down in place. She hovered and rolled her eyes while Midorima put on his shoes, reciting the shoe-tying poem, right foot first, then left. Cuff the socks once. 

“Come _on_ , Aniki!”

Once they were outside, Midorima scooped his little sister up easily and placed her on his shoulders. She pulled his hair almost immediately, but that was nothing new. She was afraid of heights but liked the view so much that she insisted on shoulder rides anyway. 

Midorima was feeling unusually good, despite the tiny fists clutching at his hair. 

“Why you in such a nice mood today, huh Aniki?” Imouto was unusually perceptive for one so young. 

Midorima shrugged, which only caused her to yank his hair harder. “My luck is very good today, Imouto. The stars are shining favorably.”

He could almost feel the little girl’s eyes rolling. “Uh-huh.”

They arrived at the combini and both bought ice creams. Imouto’s was chocolate, Midorima’s melon-flavored. The little girl pouted the whole way home because Midorima refused to carry her while she dripped chocolate ice cream everywhere. This was for the best, as her face and frock were both smeared with sticky, chocolatey goodness by the time they got home. 

Midorima’s mother bustled his little sister off to wash up and change her dress. Midorima returned to his room and found his book much easier to concentrate on now that he wasn’t in a state of blind panic and embarrassment. Kagami liked him. Kagami had kissed him. He was Kagami’s type. 

The afternoon passed, fading into evening. It wasn’t so bad to have a lazy Saturday. Midorima finished his book. His phone chirped. 

**Kagami Taiga: r u feeling better?**

**Yes, very much, thank you.**

**Kagami Taiga: good :) do u want to get lunch tomorrow maybe??**

Midorima’s heart started to race again. Would this lunch be a date? Like, their first date?

**I would like that. We can try that Korean place.**

**Kagami Taiga: okay! :) :) :) i’ll come by ur place around noon?**

**That sounds fine.**

**Kagami Taiga: goodnight mido**

**Goodnight, Kagami.**

Midorima fell asleep with his phone in his hand for the second night in a row.


	7. Frogs and First Dates

Confused, confusing dreams faded with the morning light. Midorima awoke with a start, blushing and uncomfortable. It was early, the sun barely peeking over the horizon. 

After his morning rituals, Midorima settled in to check his horoscope, thinking that he would go for a run before Kagami came by. He needed to burn off some of his excess energy and make up for spending the previous day playing sick. 

His luck for the day wasn’t good, but his lucky item was a frog. He had dozens of frogs. He would just have to carry more than one lucky item to counteract his poor horoscope. He didn’t want his first date, or whatever it was, with Kagami to go poorly. 

Midorima dressed in basketball shorts and a plain t-shirt for his run before clipping frog-shaped shoelace charms to his sneakers.

The crisp morning air was already warming, threatening that the rest of the day would be hot. Midorima’s feet pounded on the pavement, driving him forward, letting the physical exertion wash away all of the strange and unfamiliar things swirling in his head. It felt good to just run, to just breathe and move muscles. Miles rushed past with the strides of Midorima’s long legs. Sweat poured down his back and dampened his hair. By the time he returned home, ten miles later, he was pleasantly worn out but not exhausted. It would take more than that to exhaust him. 

A cold shower followed his run. Cold showers were best after exercise. He stood in the shower and let the water rush over his body, rinsing away the sweat and dirt.

Midorima’s phone chirped its alarm tone, letting him know that it was eleven. Time to get dressed and brace himself to see Kagami. 

By the time Kagami knocked at the front door, Midorima was pacing nervously. He’d rewrapped his fingers twice. All of his frogs had been rearranged, in order of darkest to lightest shade of green, as opposed to biggest to smallest.

Small footsteps pounded through the house. “Aniki! ANIKI! Your nice soup friend is here!” Midorima’s little sister was running through the halls, screaming at the top of her lungs. Midorima sighed. 

“Yes, Imouto, I can hear that, thank you!” He grabbed his sneakers, still sporting their frog-shaped shoelace charms, and rushed downstairs. When he reached the bottom, he jerked to a sudden halt. 

Kagami was cradling Imouto in one arm and tickling her with his free hand. Midorima’s sister giggled and squealed and seemed to be having fun. The sight made Midorima’s heart ache. 

Imouto noticed him standing on the stairs and yelped. Her chubby hands reached out toward him. “Help me, Aniki! The tiger got me!” she squealed, but her words dissolved into giggles. 

Kagami swung her down, planting her little feet on the floor carefully so she didn’t tip over from her continued squirming. He put his hands on his hips in mock scolding. “Midorima, you never told me that your little sister is a real life fairy princess.”

Imouto giggled and tugged one of her pigtails, twirling the end around her fingers. “You were right, Aniki. ‘Gami is a nice man.” She turned to hug Kagami’s leg then ran off upstairs. 

Kagami chuckled. “Cute kid.” He turned his face back to Midorima. “‘Nice soup friend’ huh?”

“Shut up, idiot.” Midorima’s cheeks were pink.

Kagami looked Midorima up and down, noting his outfit: a t-shirt with a happily waving Keroppi, a frog baseball cap that had apparently been purchased at the zoo, khaki shorts, and sneakers with frog-shaped shoelace charms. Kagami laughed, but it was a friendly laugh.

“Let me guess, your lucky item today is a frog?”

“Obviously. And my horoscope was bad, so I have to compensate.” Midorima adjusted his glasses.

Kagami shook his head, but the look in his eyes was gentle. “You are so strange, Mido.”

Midorima scowled. “Are we going to lunch or would you rather stay here with my sister so you can commiserate about how weird I am?”

Kagami held up his hands in surrender. “Lunch, lunch!”

They set out walking to the Korean restaurant. The sun was so hot overhead that Midorima pulled the sunscreen out of his messenger bag and insisted they both put some on. Then he swapped his glasses for sunglasses.

“You and your sister are really close, aren’t you?” Kagami asked idly, kicking a rock down the sidewalk. 

Midorima nodded. He wasn’t used to talking about his home life with anyone, not even Takao. It felt odd, but not in a bad way. “Yes, we are. My father is frequently away on business so it’s usually just my mother, Imouto, and myself at home.” He paused, taking off his hat for a moment to run his long fingers through his green hair. “Because I’m so much older than her, Imouto looks up to me. It’s my responsibly to be a good Aniki for her.”

Kagami didn’t reply but had a thoughtful look on his face. He kicked a few more rocks then ruffled his hair. “The restaurant is right around the corner. Do you even like Korean food?”

“It’s not my first choice but I don’t mind it.”

“That’s good enough for me.” Kagami laughed and sped his steps, forcing Midorima to do the same lest he be left behind. 

The inside of the restaurant was cool and dim, a welcome relief from the pounding summer sun. Strange, spicy smells filled the air. Kagami and Midorima were seated at a table meant for two. Midorima’s heart started to race again. It was no big deal, just two guys having lunch together. 

They were both so tall that their knees brushed together under the table. The waitress apologized and asked if they would like to be seated somewhere else. 

“Nah, this is fine.” Kagami grinned at the waitress in a way that made her eyes widen. 

“Oh! Oh, I see. Let me...here are some menus…” The poor girl looked flustered. 

Kagami took the menus and handed one to Midorima. “I heard their soy sauce crab is really good.” When Midorima shot him a questioning look, Kagami explained, “Hyuga eats here sometimes, he’s the one that mentioned the place.”

“I see.” Midorima turned to the hovering waitress. “I will have the gimbap, please. And a glass of water.”

Kagami shrugged and laughed. “Well, I’ll have the soy sauce crab, then.”

The two sat nervously while they waited for their food, neither terribly sure of what to do. When their meals thankfully arrived, Kagami dug in with his usual gusto while Midorima ate his dish in dainty bites. 

“You’re disgusting,” Midorima commented off-handedly as Kagami tore into a second crab with his bare fingers. 

Kagami glanced up and tilted his head before very deliberately rubbing his knee against Midorima’s. His mouth was full of crab meat and rice as he grinned. “You like me.”

“Idiot.” Midorima muttered, scowling, but he couldn’t deny the chills that Kagami’s touch was causing. 

Kagami chuckled but ceased his nudging. 

The rest of the meal was relatively uneventful. They paid, Kagami’s smug grin making the waitress blush. As they left, Kagami’s fingers brushed against Midorima’s.

Midorima pulled back slightly, startled. “What are you doing?”

Kagami rolled his eyes. “Nothing, Mido.”

Midorima didn’t know what to do or say in response to that, so he simply walked. Soon enough, they were back to Midorima’s house. From the silence in the halls, it was fairly evident that no one else was home. 

“I suppose mother took Imouto to the park.” Midorima pulled off his sneakers and set them neatly on the mat near the door. “I hope they brought her sun hat.”

“So we’re alone?” 

“I guess so.”

Kagami was there in an instant, his body pressing against Midorima’s. Midorima stumbled slightly, caught off-guard, his back hitting the wall. “What on earth are you--” His words were cut off by Kagami’s mouth. 

After the barest moment’s hesitation on Midorima’s part, the kiss became deep and somewhat frantic. Kagami’s hands knocked the frog hat off of Midorima’s head before tangling in his emerald hair. Midorima gasped softly, which caused Kagami to make a low rumbling sound in his throat. 

Kagami pulled back slightly, so that he could look into Midorima’s eyes. His fingers were still in Midorima’s green hair, but his thumbs moved down to caress the taller boy’s jawline. “I’ve been wanting to do that all day.”

Midorima swallowed hard, his eyes wide as they met Kagami’s. His heart was pounding, his body tense. Kagami’s bulk was pressed against his lean frame, making him feel both warm and vaguely claustrophobic. He could feel Kagami’s arousal and it both excited and terrified him. “My family might be home any minute, moron.” The words were slightly strained. Midorima wanted...he didn’t know what he wanted. 

Kagami backed off and ruffled his dark red hair. “I guess you’re right,” he conceded. Then a devilish grin touched his lips. “Next weekend, we should hang at my place.”

Barely able to breathe, Midorima made a show of digging in his messenger bag. He fished out a teddy bear keychain and held it out to Kagami. 

“Thanks, Mido.” Kagami smiled, his eyes gentle. He glanced at his phone. “I should get going, got a team practice at four.” He tucked the keychain into his pocket with his phone.

Reaching out one hand, Kagami cupped Midorima’s chin, pulling him in for a swift kiss.

“Goodbye, Kagami.”

Kagami winked as he turned to leave. “Later, Mido.”

The lucky item of the day for Leos was a bear.


	8. Sleepover Redux

Again Midorima stood outside of Kagami’s house. Again he was paralysed by nerves and indecision. Knocking on that door felt like a precipice that once he stepped off of, there would be no going back. But, like a precipice, he had the morbid desire to jump. 

What was Kagami expecting to happen, with them alone for the whole day? What if Midorima did something wrong or was disappointing? Thoughts of Kagami’s bulky frame, the way his muscles bunched when they played basketball together, the way sweat kissed his tanned skin like a thousand glittering diamonds, had been driving Midorima mad for months. But he wasn’t sure if he was ready to really do anything about it. He was dreadfully aware of his own inexperience in that area.

Midorima’s thoughts strayed to the paper lantern in his gym bag, his lucky item for the day. His horoscope had been favorable. He had to put his trust in the stars. He knocked. 

From how quickly Kagami answered the door, he must have been lurking in the front room. He blushed slightly and ruffled the back of his hair. Hair that looked suspiciously like it had been recently brushed. It still stuck up in every direction but in a much more organized sort of way. 

“Hey Mido! Come on in! I thought maybe we’d get in some one-on-one while dinner is cooking? I’m making pizza, which was my favorite food when I lived in the States.” Kagami grinned and gestured Midorima into the house. 

Kagami was rambling. _Maybe he’s nervous too? No, that’s ridiculous._ Midorima held up one hand for silence. “That all sounds fine.”

That huge, honest smile touched Kagami’s lips. He glanced down at the clothes Midorima was wearing. “You’re already dressed for basketball, awesome.”

“Of course, moron. You mentioned that we would be practicing.” Midorima nodded impatiently toward the door. “Shouldn’t we actually practice?”

“Right!” Kagami laughed. They left together, going to the street court near Kagami’s house. 

Their practice was grueling and brutal. Midorima couldn’t help but admire the way Kagami moved as he ran up and down the court. For the first time, though, he noticed that Kagami was watching him too. That only drove him to play harder. They pushed each other to their limits and were pouring sweat and exhausted by the time Kagami’s phone chirped that the pizza was nearly done. 

Midorima was in a state of fuzzy peace as they walked back to Kagami’s house. Basketball always calmed his nerves, soothed the frequent worries that plagued his brain. Basketball with Kagami was...something else. They always hit a certain stride where they were perfectly in sync, when their bodies started to move together without thinking, when every play was on instinct alone. Then, and only then, did Midorima feel completely comfortable with his feelings toward Kagami. Of course he was drawn to the idiot. The idiot was perfect. 

Unfortunately, they were back at Kagami’s house, where things were not so simple.

Midorima fussed nervously with his gym bag. The idea of sitting around in his own sweat was even less palatable than the idea of using the shower in Kagami’s house. “If you don’t mind, may I use your shower?”

“Yeah, sure, go ahead. I’ll go after you.” Kagami’s voice came from the kitchen, where he was fussing around with dinner preparations. 

Feeling like he was sneaking around behind enemy lines, Midorima made his way to the bathroom that attached to Kagami’s bedroom. He was thankful that he had brought his own shampoo and soap, after looking at the products Kagami had on the sink. Not that there was anything wrong with them. Midorima just wanted Kagami’s scent to remain Kagami’s. 

Midorima felt strange using Kagami’s shower but it served its purpose. He was clean and changed into the fresh clothes he’d brought with him, khakis and a button-down shirt. 

Upon seeing Midorima wander out of the bedroom, Kagami took his turn in the shower, leaving Midorima to sit nervously in the front room. He wrapped his fingers as he sat on the couch, tearing the last strip of tape with his teeth as Kagami returned. 

Hair wet and spiky, Kagami scooped up the pizza he’d made and headed for his room. “Pizza is best with a movie or video games,” he commented sagely when Midorima glanced askance. 

It was strange that Kagami kept all of his entertainment in his bedroom when he had the whole house to himself. There wasn’t even a television in the front room. Midorima followed Kagami into the bedroom, fighting down a new wave of anxiety. They’d been in the bedroom together before. Nothing had happened then. Other than Midorima sleeping curled up in Kagami’s blankets, surrounded by his smell and haunted by half-formed dreams. 

Kagami had laid the pizza on his desk and started putting slices on plates. He handed one to Midorima. “I made it with stuff you like.”

The pizza had chicken, broccoli, and mushrooms on it. Midorima was struck again with how thoughtful Kagami could be, considering that he’d never seen the red-haired teen eat a vegetable voluntarily. “Thank you.” 

Kagami sat on the edge of his bed, pizza in one hand and the controller for his PS3 in the other. His mouth was already full. “Wanna play Street Fighter?”

“Of course not. But if you’d like to, I’ll watch.” Midorima sat next to Kagami and took an experimental bite of his pizza, making a small noise of approval. 

Kagami grinned, pizza sauce gracing one corner of his generous mouth. “Sounds like you like the pizza. I don’t like the sauce they use here so I make my own.” His right hand flicked through the menu screens on the television while the left lifted a second slice of pizza into his mouth. 

Midorima watched as Kagami multitasked between his game and his food, intensely aware of the way Kagami’s crossed leg kept brushing against his every time the video game got difficult. He could smell the spicy, masculine scent of Kagami’s shampoo and feel the heat rolling off of that large body. It was incredibly distracting.

“...Mido?”

Kagami’s voice snapped him back to reality. “What?”

“Are you done eating? I was going to put the dishes away if you are. It’s better not to let the sauce dry, then it’s a real pain to clean off.”

Midorima’s cheeks turned pink. “Oh, yes. Of course. I’m done, thank you.”

Kagami smiled and took the plate from him, balancing their two plates in one hand and the pizza pan in the other. 

Midorima sat in silence, listening to the dishes clinking in the kitchen. What the hell was he doing? His heart was racing with nerves and excitement. He’d even brought a change of clothes, in case… He shook his head. He wouldn’t even admit that to himself. Upset, he fished the paper lantern out of his gym bag and sat it on the bedside table. Its presence was soothing. 

To his credit, Kagami didn’t comment on the lantern when he returned, or on Midorima’s clear state of agitation. He sat back down on the bed, his weight causing the mattress to creak, before taking a deep breath and turning to Midorima. 

“What?” Midorima demanded, his voice sharp. 

“I was just wondering if you’re okay.”

“Of course I’m alright!” Midorima swallowed hard, trying not to be so completely aware of how close Kagami’s body was. 

Kagami nodded once. “Can I kiss you?”

Midorima sneered. “Oh, now you ask? Idiot.”

Taking a deep, calming breath, Kagami reached up to touch Midorima’s cheek. Gently. “Yeah, now I’m asking. We’re alone and you seem nervous.” He gave a small, self-deprecating laugh. “Hell, I’m nervous too.”

Midorima wanted to run. He wanted to unleash a torrent of abuse. He wanted to protect himself from how perceptive Kagami was being. Instead, he let the soft touch at his cheek distract him. “Yes, I am...nervous.”

“What did you think, Mido? That as soon as we were alone, I’d pounce on you like a wild animal?” Kagami chuckled, but there was genuine concern in his deep red eyes. 

“I don’t know what I thought!” Midorima’s capacity for discussing his feelings was quickly reaching its limit. He looked away from those dark eyes that were trying to peer into his soul.

“Midorima.” Kagami’s voice was soft as he gently turned Midorima’s face back to his. “I would never, ever do anything to hurt you, okay? I know I’m a bumbling oaf and I get carried away sometimes but I...I wouldn’t do that to you.”

Midorima’s eyes were stinging, his heart was in his throat. The idiot could be so gentle when he tried. “Kiss me.” His voice was quiet.

“Hmm?”

“I said kiss me, you complete and utter idiot.”

Kagami did. He kissed Midorima thoroughly. 

Now that they weren’t rushed, Kagami took his time, enjoying himself. Those straight, white teeth nipped gently at Midorima’s lower lip. Kagami’s tongue explored Midorima’s mouth, tasting him. Eventually, his kisses moved lower, along the pale length of the taller boy’s throat. 

The sensation of Kagami’s mouth on his own washed Midorima away on waves of pleasure. When those lips moved to his neck, he couldn’t prevent the small, helpless noises that came from him. Those sounds seemed to please Kagami, whose kisses became sloppier and more urgent. Heat was filling up Midorima’s body, making it almost unbearable. He hadn’t been completely aware of when his long, slender fingers tangled in Kagami’s ruby hair, but he seemed to be pulling Kagami closer.

Kagami stopped for a moment, taking a calming breath. He nuzzled at Midorima’s throat, into the strands of green hair that had strayed there, inhaling deeply. “You smell like apples,” he murmured, his voice low and soft. “I like it.”

The ghostly brush of Kagami’s words against his neck made Midorima shiver. He shook his head, trying to clear it, not knowing if he really wanted to. “It’s getting late.”

“Sure is.” Kagami whispered the words against Midorima’s shoulder.

“I’d rather not walk home in the dark.” Midorima’s words were choked, his body aching. One part of his mind was screaming in alarm, demanding that he run. Another part was raging with need, crying out not to let Kagami stop kissing him. The third part, the part that was speaking, was trying to keep a firm hold on the other two and address the situation calmly. 

Kagami’s hand was creeping along the edge of Midorima’s shirt, not quite moving underneath it, but clearly wanting to. “So stay.”

“Stay? I can’t possibly.” That was a lie, he’d even brought a change of clothes. And his toothbrush from home. And pajamas. Really, he’d come prepared to stay, even though he was ashamed of it.

“Mido, I won’t ask you to stay if you don’t want to. But if you do, I promise I won’t push you. I just want you here, with me.” Kagami pulled his face back so he could meet Midorima’s vividly green eyes. His face was painted with longing and affection. 

Midorima adjusted his glasses. “Fine. Idiot.”

The lucky item of the day for Leos was a green apple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rating hikes in the next chapter, so those of you who aren't into that are DULY WARNED.


	9. Accidentally Irresistible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains a rating hike, so if you don't want to read about two boys doing naughty things TURN BACK NOW. SMUT AHEAD.
> 
> Also, Midorima is such an unintentionally sexy little minx and I love it. I hope you do too.

Their limbs were tangled together like two drunken octopuses, or at least that’s how it seemed to Midorima’s hazy mind. Kagami’s mouth was at his neck, kissing, licking, nibbling, driving him mad. His body ached like nothing he’d ever felt before, desperate for something he didn’t fully understand. He could hear the noises that he was making but they sounded far away and vaguely embarrassing. His hands were in Kagami’s deep red hair, the ruby strands shining between the elegant lengths of his fingers. 

They rolled and suddenly Kagami’s weight was on top of him, trapping him underneath all of that heat and muscle. Midorima was distantly surprised that he didn’t feel claustrophobic at all. In fact, he rather liked it. He liked the way that Kagami made him feel slight. His legs wrapped around Kagami’s, pulling them closer together. 

Kagami let out a soft grunt, half arousal and half frustration. With their bodies pressed this close, it was very clear that they were both excited. His hand edged under Midorima’s shirt, tentatively, the slow touch of someone who doesn’t want to startle. 

Kagami’s fingers were almost unpleasantly hot. Part of Midorima’s mind filed that away for later, thinking that a constantly high body temperature was probably not terribly healthy. Likely from all of the red meat the idiot ate. Those thoughts scattered as Kagami laid his hand across Midorima’s stomach, caressing the rippling muscle there. Midorima felt Kagami shudder. 

Nervously, Midorima disentangled his fingers from that thick, red hair and moved his hands to Kagami’s broad shoulders. Was this okay? From the way Kagami pressed his body against Midorima’s, it apparently was. 

Kagami lifted his body up, kneeling between Midorima’s legs, and pulled his shirt off over his head. Midorima’s eyes went wide.

“Don’t look so shocked! You’ve seen me shirtless before.” Kagami grinned but remained where he was.

Somewhat breathlessly, Midorima snapped, “Those were different circumstances.”

Kagami smirked and lowered himself down to his elbows, so that his body was propped over Midorima’s, not quite touching but close enough to feel the heat of his skin. He nipped gently at Midorima’s earlobe. “Really? Are you telling me that you didn’t enjoy rubbing sunscreen on me? Because I sure as hell know that I did.” He grinned again, letting Midorima feel the motion of his mouth against the tender skin of that pale neck. “Don’t be afraid to touch me, Mido. I like it.”

Tentatively, Midorima’s hands moved back to Kagami’s shoulders. With a touch as delicate as a spider’s, he trailed his slender fingers down Kagami’s back, taking his time, enjoying the hills and valleys of muscle, stopping just short of the waistband of the other teen’s shorts. Kagami had remained perfectly still while Midorima’s fingers trailed across his skin, the hitches in his breath his only reaction. Once the whispering touch came to a stop, Kagami let out a shuddering groan.

The noise startled Midorima, causing him to jerk his hands away. 

“Midorima, _please_.” Kagami’s voice was almost painful to hear, it was so rough with need. “It was a good sound, I promise.” One of his hands moved back to the edge of Midorima’s shirt, but this time it gave a plaintive little tug. Kagami swallowed audibly. “Can I?”

“Can you what?” Midorima’s voice was sharp with nerves. He couldn’t stop thinking about Kagami’s broad back, how soft his skin was under his fingertips. He even had the momentary sick urge to take the tape off of his fingers so that he could feel more of it. 

Kagami nuzzled gently at Midorima’s shoulder. “Can I take your shirt off?” Midorima must have jumped slightly because Kagami rushed to explain. “If you don’t want to, that’s okay. You just never take it off during practice so I’ve never actually seen…” He shook his head slightly. “I mean, I’ve thought about it, but…” He trailed off and waited. 

Midorima could feel himself blushing and was thankful that Kagami’s face was still pressed against his shoulder. Kagami thought about him shirtless? He was suddenly possessed with the perverse urge to see the look on Kagami’s face. He scooted up the bed, pulling himself out from under Kagami’s bulk. 

Kagami looked up, concern filling his dark eyes. Dark eyes that widened as Midorima began unbuttoning his shirt. 

Ignoring, or perhaps reveling in, the spinning in his head, Midorima took his time with his shirt. He was enjoying this despite his anxiety, the way that Kagami’s eyes were following his fingers, button by button. The eager look in those deep red irises. He was blushing furiously so he let his green hair fall in front of his face as he pulled his shirt all the way off. 

Moments passed in silence. Eventually Midorima looked up, his eyes panicked, convinced he’d done something wrong. 

Kagami was sitting back on his heels. His fists were clenched in the blankets on either side of his knees. He was _leering_. He shook his head and took a breath. “You really have no clue, do you?”

The soft blush on Midorima’s cheeks turned to angry red patches and his eyes narrowed. “What?” Midorima’s voice was deadly cold as he spat the word.

Kagami shook his head again, which only fueled the wave of sickness and embarrassment rising in Midorima’s chest. He motioned his hands placatingly. “You really don’t. You have no idea how sexy you are. It’s totally on accident, isn’t it?”

“You bumbling, stupid....what?” Kagami’s words took a moment to penetrate the tide of emotions that had risen within Midorima. 

Kagami leaned forward and pushed the emerald hair away from Midorima’s face before running his thumb gently down one blushing cheek. “You’re sexy.” He laid one soft kiss on Midorima’s other cheek. “Irresistible.” Another kiss, this time at Midorima’s jawline. “Hot.” Kagami’s words became muffled as his kisses moved down to the other teen’s pale throat. “Ridiculous.” He kissed Midorima’s prominent Adam’s apple. Then the top of his chest. When Midorima shivered and let out an almost inaudible gasp, Kagami let his lips graze one pink nipple. Gently, experimentally, hoping to gauge Midorima’s reaction. 

Midorima moaned softly, a choked sound. Kagami’s lips felt so good on his body. Already the anxiety and shame were fading, letting his chest fill up with warmth. _I’m sexy?_ He was tempted to think that Kagami was mocking him but the way that Kagami was behaving convinced him otherwise and this was an awful long way to go to humiliate someone.

Kagami’s arousal was plain, pressing against Midorima’s leg through the fabric of his loose shorts and Midorima’s trousers. His kisses became sloppy again as soon as Midorima didn’t bolt, his tongue leaving damp trails across the slender teen’s chest and stomach. Their bodies slid down the headboard, leaving them horizontal again, with Kagami slowly and messily working his way down Midorima’s torso with all of the gusto that he showed when eating hamburgers. Eventually he got to the rises of Midorima’s hipbones, peeking out of the top of his trousers. 

Midorima let out a strangled cry. “Not...not there, Kagami. It’s too much.” His body was tingling with need, making Kagami’s mouth on such a sensitive area almost painful. Kagami stopped immediately, without question.

With a gentle kiss right above Midorima’s navel, Kagami positioned himself next to the other boy’s taller frame, propping himself on one elbow. “Do you want to stop, Mido? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I can sleep on the couch again, I don’t mind.”

How on earth could Midorima explain that he _didn’t_ want Kagami to stop? That his entire body was electrified with desires that he hadn’t experienced before? And that was why he’d cried out? Because Kagami’s touch, his mouth, his body felt _too_ good? There was no way he could say all of that, even if he could get the words past his lips, he would surely die of shame before he finished the first sentence. He wanted to beg Kagami to keep touching him, to never stop touching him. But he couldn’t. He simply couldn’t. 

Apparently Midorima’s body betrayed him, even as he was wrestling with the thoughts raging in his head. He shook his head, silently, once. Heat flushed his cheeks as soon as his brain registered that he’d moved, making his glasses fog around the edges.

“You don’t want me to go?” Kagami’s question was soft, the tone he took when it was obvious that Midorima was upset.

Midorima’s frustration hit the boiling point. His green eyes flashed angrily. “You are such an unbearable idiot!” Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed Kagami’s right hand and placed it directly on his burgeoning erection. “Does it _feel_ like I want you to go? I swear, you are the most moronic, imbecilic, simple-minded--” Midorima’s tangent cut off with a deep moan as Kagami’s hand rubbed him through his trousers. 

Thoughts and anger and anxiety and embarrassment fell away. Midorima closed his eyes, just enjoying Kagami’s touch. Kagami’s hands were so thick and hot and he seemed to know what he was doing. Midorima felt the slightest stab of jealousy at that thought, but it was carried away too, at least for now. Now it was just Kagami’s touch, the heat of the body next to his, the masculine smell filling his nostrils and making his head so incredibly foggy. He forced himself to open his eyes, to look over at Kagami, to watch what he was doing. And he was so thankful he did. 

Kagami’s eyes were half-lidded, almost sleepy-looking in their lust. The muscles of his massive arm bunched and stretched with each slow, gentle stroke. His eyes were trailing up and down Midorima’s body, taking in every squirm and tense. A small damp spot had appeared on the front of his shorts, right at the tip of his arousal. 

Midorima swallowed, hard, gasping between soft moans. “Kagami, you idiot.” He squirmed, pushing into Kagami’s hand. “It really would feel better without my trousers in the way, I think.”

The words that came out of Kagami’s mouth were not terribly intelligible through the deep, growling groan that escaped him. He was up in one swift motion, kneeling between Midorima’s knees, pulling open the other teen’s belt. Under the trousers, Midorima was wearing snug red briefs that were...extremely flattering. “ _Fuck_! There is no way you're not doing this on purpose!”

Midorima’s eyebrows drew together, surprised by Kagami’s reaction. “What’s wrong? Red was my lucky color today.” He tried unsuccessfully to keep his composure as, with another outburst of cursing, Kagami pulled down the front of his briefs, exposing him. Midorima could feel the blush spreading from his cheeks down to his neck and chest. His heart was racing in fear and anticipation. He’d never seen another boy’s...personal parts. What if his was abnormal or something?

Thankfully Kagami didn’t leave him waiting for a reaction this time. Kagami’s head tilted slightly, the way it did when he was looking at something he liked, then he wrapped his heavy hand around Midorima’s length.

Midorima let the warmth and thickness of Kagami’s hand take him away for a few moments, enjoying the view of Kagami’s wide shoulders and naked torso. This was so much better than the murky, half-formed fantasies he’d had. Through the haze of desire, Midorima fought back to reality. He realized that he was feeling particularly shameless. That Kagami being like this with him was having the effect of stealing his fear. Kagami certainly wasn’t embarrassed, kneeling there, touching his… If Kagami wasn’t ashamed, why should he be?

Shaking his head from side to side, Midorima pushed himself up on his elbows. With his right hand, his untaped fingers, he reached out for the waistband of Kagami’s shorts. Looking up to meet the deep red eyes of his...boyfriend?..., Midorima steeled himself. “Yours too.” He made the statement as flatly as he could, even though his voice shook.

Kagami nodded, a little desperately. His touches slowed and he took on the manner of a predator waiting quietly on the hunt, keeping very still so he wouldn’t startle his prey. 

Midorima pulled down the waistband of Kagami’s loose-fitting shorts. There, standing proudly and looking painfully hard, was Kagami’s sex. Midorima’s fingers moved toward it but hesitated at the last moment and fell short. 

With a shivering sigh, Kagami exhaled. He’d apparently been holding his breath. Midorima’s cheeks were red, his eyes downcast. He didn’t look unwilling or scared, only shy and uncertain. Kagami lowered his body onto Midorima’s, letting his bulk settle its weight on his knees and elbows, so they were touching but he wasn’t crushing the slender form below him. 

From this position, Midorima didn’t have to meet Kagami’s eyes. He didn’t have to be seen. A tide of thankfulness rushed through him. Kagami’s face was buried in his neck again, kissing and sucking, nibbling and licking. He relaxed a little, his body untensing. As if that was a cue that Kagami was waiting for, Midorima felt the length of Kagami’s arousal rub against his own. 

It was clumsy, at first, as Kagami thrust against Midorima’s length, desperate for friction. He reached between them, trying to use his hand to guide them together. 

Kagami’s sex was so hard, so hot, and almost silky smooth. The sensation of it was driving Midorima closer and closer to some precipice. But Kagami was ungainly, his thick fingers not long enough to encircle them both. With a groan of frustration, Midorima reached his hand between their sweat-sheened stomachs. “Let me, idiot. My hands are bigger.” He thought Kagami might finish right then, from the bone-deep moan that came from that tanned throat. 

Midorima wrapped his long, slender fingers around both of their members, the taut flesh and hardness unfamiliar, but not in a bad way. He had a much more delicate touch than Kagami’s fumbling hand and was able to guide their rutting effectively. Kagami was thrusting against him, more and more urgently, causing something to build in Midorima’s stomach, like pooling lava. His mind was both a million miles away and completely focused on Kagami. Everything was Kagami. Kagami filled the entire universe.

“Mido...I…” Kagami’s words were gasped, heavy. “I can’t…”

The words lost all meaning on the way to Midorima’s ears. The magma pooling in his belly was getting hotter, screaming for release. He’d never felt anything like it before. A small, detached part of his mind was afraid of what was about to happen but his body wasn’t listening, not right then, not with Kagami’s sex rubbing against his, both of them so hard and needy in his hand. 

With a force that rocked his entire body and shattered his mind into a billion glittering stars, Midorima released his seed, screaming, the taped fingers of his left hand scrabbling at the bed sheets, his face contorted with pleasure. Vaguely, distantly, he felt Kagami finish as well, the hot, sticky fluid of the other teen’s orgasm splattering his stomach. Everything was foggy for a long moment as they both tried to catch their breath, their sweating bodies entwined. Midorima’s eyes fluttered and his mind let go of consciousness.


	10. Sleeping Beauty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since poor Midorima fainted at the end of the last chapter and 10 is Kagami's jersey number, Chapter 10 is a special short chapter from Kagami's point of view! It's a little fluffy and pretty smutty, but that's our Bakagami.

Midorima looked so delicate, laying there on Kagami’s pillow. His long, long lashes laid against the pale skin of his cheeks. His mouth was open ever so slightly, his lips like pink rose petals. A slight sheen of sweat still glistened on his brow and chest. Lower down, on his slender stomach, tracing the lines of muscle there, was a completely different glistening: the results of two teenaged boys in the throes of passion. 

_Damn._ Kagami shook his head and grinned, a greedy, shit-eating grin that he was almost happy Midorima wasn’t conscious to see. _He actually passed out. I made him come so hard that he passed out. That’s so fucking hot._ With a grunt, he lifted himself off the bed, careful not to disturb sleeping beauty. 

Grabbing the ugly beach towel that Midorima had loaned him weeks ago, Kagami gently wiped off his boyfriend’s torso. Then, very aware of Midorima’s dignity, he fixed the snug red briefs and trousers, not without a pang of regret. Midorima had a great cock. Not as large as Kagami’s own but really well-shaped. Nice to look at. And touch.

Kagami realized he was working on another erection at the thought of what Midorima would feel like in his mouth. He shook his head again. He had to take it slow with Mido, he knew that going into this, but he had no idea how slow. He doubted Midorima had ever even kissed someone before. Kagami wasn’t much more experienced than that, but he did live alone and had a computer. All of the things he hadn’t done himself, he was at least _aware_ of. But that was okay. Midorima was worth it.

Before getting back into his bed, Kagami turned on the paper lantern that Midorima had brought with him, thinking it might give the weirdo some comfort. He gently removed Midorima’s glasses and laid them next to the lantern so they would be easy to find in the dark, just in case. As quietly as he could, he crawled back into bed.

Propping himself up on one elbow, Kagami took this rare opportunity to just enjoy looking at Midorima. Mido was handsome and well-built, but those weren’t the only reasons Kagami liked him. Hell, Kagami barely knew why Kagami liked him. Something about his odd behavior, his bizarre innocence, even his often rude demeanor...Kagami found it cute. Really, really cute. 

Honestly, Kagami had never expected anything to come of it. Now that it had, though, he was grateful. He didn’t have to hide it anymore, which was nice. Christ, he loved the way that Midorima’s emerald hair looked against his plaid pillowcase. Hair that Kagami now knew felt as soft as it looked, like strands of silk. Far softer than his own hair, which was thick and coarse like his father’s. But Midorima had tangled his ridiculously long fingers in Kagami’s thick hair, clearly enjoying it, tugging and moaning…

 _Oh, fuck it._ Kagami pulled down the front of his shorts and began stroking himself, eyes roaming over his boyfriend’s soundly sleeping form. He wouldn’t touch Midorima, not like this, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the view. His mind wandered to all of the things he wanted to do with Midorima, or to him.

Kagami could almost imagine what Midorima would taste like. Even though Kagami generally considered himself the top, he certainly had no problem with the idea of mixing things up a bit. Plus, he loved seeing Midorima get all...unglued. He couldn’t wait to have those elegant fingers all tangled up in his hair while he took Mido’s cock in his mouth, his incredibly tall boyfriend towering over him... 

He almost felt guilty for having such rampantly sexual thoughts about Midorima. Midorima who, until tonight, hadn’t seemed very interested in sex. Tonight though, Kagami had seen a side of Midorima that he hadn’t known existed. A side that had needs, even if they were hard to express. Needs that Kagami was only too happy to take care of. 

Taking it slow to avoid jostling the bed and waking Midorima, Kagami was forced to be much more gentle with himself than he usually was. Normally, he was done in a matter minutes. Now, he was trying to be still and quiet, unwilling to be caught like this, his strokes slow and cautious. He bit down on his lip to prevent himself from making noise. 

Keeping his eyes on Midorima’s bare torso, slightly parted lips, and sex-mussed hair, Kagami let his mind wander away. He thought about what it would be like to swallow Midorima’s cum. Or...his breath hitched...to watch Midorima’s face while he was balls-deep in his boyfriend’s cute ass. Christ, he could picture it so clearly...Midorima’s hands clutching at the sheets....his mouth open and moaning...his face all bent with pleasure...the way he would gasp ‘Kagami’....

With a choked grunt, Kagami came into his hand, only managing to get a little of his fluid on the bedsheets. Ah well, they’d seen worse. He grabbed the ugly beach towel that he’d tossed at the foot of the bed and wiped his hand off. 

With a yawn and a stretch, Kagami settled in next to Midorima, pulling his comforter over the both of them. He thought he would have a hard time falling asleep with Midorima pressed so close, but his body apparently didn’t agree. He cuddled up next to his green-haired beauty, nuzzling his face into the crook of Midorima’s neck and breathing in his soft, fruity scent. Within moments, he was asleep.


	11. Golden Morning

Midorima’s eyes drifted open. The room was dim aside from a blurry red orb. He squinted, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. It was his paper lantern. And his glasses were missing. Gentle snoring was coming from the amorphous blob to his right. The blankets he was under were soft and warm and smelled really, really nice. Midorima let out an enormous yawn and snuggled back into the cozy warmth of the bed, pulling the blankets up over his bare shoulders and letting himself fall back to sleep, comfortable with Kagami’s heat by his side.

When the early morning light filtered through Kagami’s window, Midorima woke with a start. He sat bolt upright, momentarily disoriented. Everything was blurry and this wasn’t his room and Kagami was snoring and…

Oh. Right. 

The night’s events came rushing back, filling him with a mix of dread and excitement. Even as the cold tension of nerves settled into the pit of his stomach, he could feel his body reacting to the memory of Kagami on top of him. 

Kagami rolled, draping one heavy arm over Midorima’s narrow waist. He mumbled something that sounded like, “Go back to sleep, beauty,” before sinking back into quiet snores.

Midorima blushed and shoved Kagami’s arm off of his body. “I can’t go back to sleep, idiot. It’s morning. I have things to do. Where did you put my glasses?”

Flopping a limp arm toward the bedside table, Kagami let out a massive yawn. “By the lantern.” He rolled over, pulling the blanket over his head. “Watch out for the towel.” The words were muffled by the comforter and sleepiness. 

Midorima put his glasses on and looked around for the towel in question. It was the beach towel he had loaned Kagami weeks ago. He stifled a snort of laughter. Idiot. Though he did appreciate that Kagami had cleaned him up after he’d...made a mess. And fainted. He felt his cheeks burning again and shuffled off to the bathroom with his gym bag.

By the time Midorima was done showering, changing into fresh clothes, and brushing his teeth, Kagami was starting to stir. Midorima was sitting cross-legged on the bedroom floor and wrapping his fingers when Kagami finally sat up. 

Stretching hugely, Kagami made a series of grumbling and yawning noises, clearly unhappy to be awake so early on a weekend. 

Midorima snuck a look at Kagami’s glorious musculature through lowered lashes, trying to look like he was paying attention to taping his fingers, even though he could do it with his eyes closed at this point. Kagami was pulling at one arm over his head, then the other, arching his back. Midorima shivered slightly. This was too good to be true. He had just woken up in Kagami’s bed after a night of...intimacy. And Kagami didn’t seem to be in a rush to make him leave. Maybe he hadn’t done anything wrong. Maybe, just maybe, Kagami had enjoyed himself too. It had certainly seemed that way at the time. 

Lifting his hand to his mouth, Midorima tore the last strip of tape with his teeth and put the roll back into his gym bag. Horoscopes were next. He reached out to grab his phone from Kagami’s bedside table. 

Kagami’s fingers brushed the back of Midorima’s hand. Midorima froze.

“Mido.” Kagami took a breath. “About last night…”

Midorima sighed and braced himself for the inevitable. He hadn’t known what he was doing and clearly made some mistake. He probably wasn’t very good at any of it. Really, that only concerned him because it was Kagami. He’d never had these problems before the idiot came along. 

Kagami brushed his fingers across the back of Midorima’s hand, a gentle, loving touch. “It was amazing.”

_Amazing?_ It had been amazing for Midorima, too, but he assumed that was because he was so completely enamored with Kagami. He didn’t really know what to say in response.

“I like waking up next to you.” Kagami entwined his fingers with Midorima’s and gave them a squeeze. 

Midorima’s heart was trying to escape through his mouth again, which was surely a serious medical condition. “I...I liked it too.” He took a breath and adjusted his glasses with the hand that wasn’t being held. “But don’t ever take my glasses off of me again, idiot.”

Kagami roared with laughter, shaking his head. “Deal.”

“I need my hand back now. I have to check my horoscope for the day.” 

Kagami rolled his eyes and let go of Midorima’s hand. 

Midorima began clicking away at his phone’s keys, his eyes flying through the Oha Asa with fervor. 

“Midorima?”

“Hm?”

“Everything okay?”

Midorima’s eyebrows came together and he darted a glance of acknowledgement at Kagami before continuing to read. “Of course. My horoscope is favorable today, but I’ll have to stop to purchase a ball of twine on the way home.”

Kagami let out a soft chuckle. “I think I have some twine in the kitchen. I can check while I make breakfast?”

Midorima didn’t want to admit it, but he loved Kagami cooking for him. It made him feel...cared for. He nodded.

Kagami smiled and turned to leave. 

“Kagami.” Midorima was still focused on his phone, not looking up. “Do you play Go?”

Kagami paused in the doorway. “Never tried it, but I’ll give it a shot. But you know me, Mido, I’m not that smart. Hell, I’m really only good at one thing.”

“Two things.” The words left Midorima’s mouth casually, without thought, but his cheeks flamed up immediately. 

Kagami ruffled his hair and blushed, his already tan skin darkening. He mumbled something and ducked out of the room.

They barely talked during breakfast, which was exquisitely fluffy scrambled eggs with thick cuts of bacon, something that Midorima was definitely not used to eating. It was tasty, though, in a strange, heavy, American sort of way. He supposed that if he was going to continue being close to Kagami, he would have a lot of things to get used to. And vice versa.

And he wanted that, to be close to Kagami. He only hoped that Kagami felt that way too. 

“So, um,” Kagami began, his mouth full of eggs. “When did you...you know?”

Midorima glared and adjusted his glasses. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. You will have to use complete sentences, I’m afraid.”

Kagami sighed and laughed nervously. “Um, okay. When did you realize that you’re, you know, that you like guys?”

Midorima arched one eyebrow. “I’d never really thought about it.”

“So you’ve never had a boyfriend before?”

There was that word again. Midorima’s heart thudded. “No. I have not.”

“What about a girlfriend?”

Midorima’s eyes went cold. “Do I really have to spell it out for you, idiot? You are the first person I’ve ever considered in that way. And may the fates grant me the patience I will need to survive having such a moron for a boyfriend.” He tried it out, calling Kagami his boyfriend. It felt good.

Kagami nodded, as if confirming something to himself. 

Midorima used his fork to push the eggs around on his plate. Bracing himself for the answer, he blurted out, “What about you?”

Kagami shrugged. “I’ve kissed a couple people but that’s about it. Fooled around with one of my friends in middle school but we were just kids, it was nothing serious, y’know?” Kagami shoveled another bite into his mouth. “You’re the first person I’ve done anything serious with.”

“And what we did was serious to you?” Midorima fought to keep his voice steady. He wasn’t going to be the one to say it first. 

Kagami actually set down his fork. “Yeah, it was. I really like you.”

Midorima blushed. “Idiot.” He paused. “I like you too.”

“Cool.” Kagami laughed and ruffled his hair before digging back into his breakfast. 

Kagami did manage to find a ball of twine in his kitchen, which saved Midorima a trip to the store. The boys spent the morning chatting idly about basketball, books, and video games. Midorima threatened to help Kagami study when school resumed in a couple of weeks. All in all, it was a golden morning. When Midorima finally left for home, he was feeling on top of the world. 

Back at Midorima’s house, his Imouto was waiting patiently for him to get home from his sleepover so she could go to the park. Even the tiny fists yanking at his hair and the sticky remains of a lollipop he found on his shirt were unable to penetrate Midorima’s great mood. Kagami liked him. Really liked him. And considered things between them to be serious. The idiot even got along with Imouto. The stars had clearly brought them together.


	12. Sushi and Selfies

The last two weeks before school resumed were so packed with team practices that Midorima didn’t see Kagami once. It was a shame, but they both knew that their teams needed them, so there wasn't really any surprise there. Once classes started, their coaches would have to cut back on practice so none of the team failed. 

Midorima laid on his futon, exhausted by yet another grueling practice session. It was beginning to look like the first time he would see his boyfriend in weeks would be Shutoku’s practice match against Seirin. The thought made his stomach knot with anxiety. He knew both teams would be playing their best, but he couldn’t stand the thought of seeing Kagami’s face should Seirin lose. But he also couldn’t stand the idea of losing. 

His phone buzzed and he reluctantly rolled to retrieve it from the bedside stand. 

**Takao Kuzunari: Hey! You doing anything Shin-chan?**

Midorima considered his phone for several seconds before replying. He hadn’t done anything but play basketball and sleep for days and it might be nice to see a friend.

**Resting, then dinner.**

**Takao Kuzunari: Wanna get dinner together? We haven’t hung out in FOREVER!**

Midorima sighed, already regretting his momentary weakness.

**Yes, fine. Though it’s been significantly less than “forever.”**

**Takao Kuzunari: Yay! Shin-chan’s going to have dinner with me! Meet you at the sushi place in twenty?**

**Fine.**

Midorima sat his phone back on the stand and forced himself to get up despite his aching muscles. It was a good ache, the ache of effort and accomplishment, but it was bone deep. The Captain was particularly motivated this year. Midorima changed his clothes, despite the fact that he didn’t really have time to, mainly because he didn’t want to be one of those people that wore their pajamas in public. He changed his cell phone charm to one with a glass goldfish, his lucky item for the day, before leaving.

Takao was already seated when Midorima arrived at the sushi bar that was midway between their houses. Because of its auspicious location, it was the restaurant the two of them frequented the most. The black-haired teen was almost bouncing with excitement. Midorima thought again that maybe this wasn’t the best idea. He could have stayed home and gotten some reading done and gone to bed early…

“Come on, Shin-chan! I’m over here!” Takao waved his hands frantically.  


Midorima walked as stoically as possible to the back table that Takao had chosen, his cheeks burning at the stares the other patrons of the restaurant were giving him. He slid into the seat opposite Takao. 

“Yes, Takao, I see you. There’s no need to shout.” Midorima waved slightly at the waitress, who already knew their orders and acknowledged him with a smile. 

“You know that waitress thinks you’re cute, right?” Takao was grinning.

“What? Don’t be ridiculous.” Midorima had absolutely no desire to get caught up in another one of these types of conversations with his boisterous teammate. 

“She totally does.” Takao picked up the neatly folded napkin origami crane and began dismantling it. “How’s Kagami?”

Midorima glared at Takao, who seemed oblivious. “He’s fine.”

“Sure is.” Takao laughed and winked. 

Midorima rolled his eyes and adjusted his glasses. The waitress returned with their food and he smiled up at her politely. She blushed, which made Midorima extremely uncomfortable. His phone buzzed and he took that as an excuse to look away.

**Kagami Taiga: hey mido! just got out of practice**

Kagami had gotten into the habit of giving Midorima updates of his activities throughout the day. It made Midorima feel safe, in a weird way. Like even though they weren’t together, they weren’t far apart, either. 

**I’m shocked you aren’t dead from what I’ve heard Riko is putting you through.**

**Kagami Taiga: right??? and kuroko brought his stupid dog 2…**

**You poor thing.**

Takao cleared his throat and Midorima realized that his teammate had already started eating. Midorima sat down his phone and began to eat, but it buzzed again almost immediately. 

**Kagami Taiga: haha yup thats me xD so what r u doing??**

**Having dinner. Takao was complaining that we hadn’t hung out in “forever” so we got sushi.**

**Kagami Taiga: oh**

Something about that “oh” made Midorima worry, but he wasn’t quite sure why. He shrugged and sat his phone back down, giving his full attention to his meal. The food was good, as it always was, but he found himself missing Kagami’s cooking. 

“Kagami, huh?” Takao nodded pointedly at Midorima’s phone. 

“Yes. He just got out of practice.” 

“He doesn’t mind us hanging out?”

Midorima’s eyebrows knitted together. “What? Why would he?”

Takao rolled his eyes and tried to keep his voice patient. “Because you and I have known each other for a while and, you know, everything? I figured that’s why you were avoiding me.”

 _And everything?_ “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I wasn’t avoiding you, I was just busy. And you’re annoying.”

Just then Midorima’s phone buzzed again. He picked it up hoping to put an end to the awkward turn the conversation had taken. 

The text was from Kagami and had an image file attached.

**Kagami Taigi: just wanted 2 remind u that ur mine <3 **

The attached image was a picture Kagami had taken of himself in his bathroom mirror, fresh out of the shower. His hair was dark with dampness and fog was still creeping around the mirror’s edges. He was wearing nothing but the ugly beach towel, slung low across his hips. 

Midorima flushed a deep red, closing his phone with an audible snap. 

Takao snorted. “Something wrong, Shin-chan?”

Midorima cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses, which were as fogged as Kagami’s bathroom mirror with the heat of his blushing. “No, nothing is wrong.” He adjusted awkwardly, crossing his legs underneath the table. 

Takao’s hand darted out, snatching at Midorima’s phone and opening it before Midorima could react. Takao raised one eyebrow. “Damn. Looks like I was right.”

Grabbing his phone back, Midorima glared, furious. “Shut up.” He stuffed his phone in his pocket and stood, putting the money for his half of the bill on the table. “I’m leaving.”

Takao was so used to Midorima’s sometimes abrupt nature that he didn’t even question it. “Okay, Shin-chan! See you at practice tomorrow!” The slightest hint of sadness crept across his features as he watched Midorima weave through the tables toward the door. 

Midorima returned home in a fog, his embarrassment occupying him so deeply that he barely noticed his journey until he slumped onto his bed. His phone had buzzed a couple of times on the way, but he’d ignored it until now.

**Kagami Taiga: mido?**  
**Kagami Taiga: hey sorry if i upset u? i was just tryin 2 b cute….**

**Of course I’m yours. Were you seriously worried about my having dinner with Takao?**

**Kagami Taiga: nah not really lol i just wanted u 2 say it**

Midorima’s heart was racing. 

**Kagami Taiga: and u know, i miss u so i thought mebbe u missed seeing me 2???**

Tears welled in Midorima’s eyes. He was thankful that he waited until he was safely back in his room for this conversation. He pulled a piece of note paper from his desk, pale green with a border of cartoon frogs. Neatly, he wrote the characters ‘I miss you too.’ Then, holding the paper next to his face, he took a picture of himself and sent it to Kagami.

Minutes dragged by with Midorima getting more and more nervous. Had he gone too far? He couldn’t imagine he had, after the picture that Kagami had sent, but maybe he was wrong. Finally, his phone buzzed in his trembling hands. 

**Kagami Taiga: u r so beautiful**

Midorima couldn’t hear anything but the rushing in his ears. His fingers felt numb as he typed out a reply. 

**So are you. Idiot.**

**Kagami Taiga: i have xtra early practice 2morrow so goodnight mido**  
**Kagami Taiga: hopefully i can c u soon??**

**Yes, I’d like that. Goodnight, Kagami.**

Midorima scrolled back up through his messages until he got to the picture Kagami had sent. He placed his phone next to him on his pillow and it was almost like Kagami was there with him.


	13. Midorima's Unlucky Day

It was the morning of the practice match against Seirin and Midorima was in a terrible state. His horoscope for the day wasn’t good and he couldn’t find his lucky item, an umbrella, which was especially unlucky because it looked like rain. It didn’t help that this would be the first time he had seen Kagami since school had started and it would be as opponents, not boyfriends. 

“Okay, okay…” Midorima mumbled to himself, pacing his bedroom floor. “I just need to stop at the combini and pick up a new umbrella before it starts raining, no big deal, then maybe if I get to the school quickly enough I can talk to Kagami before the match…” His desperate attempts at self-comfort were shattered as thunder rolled outside. He groaned in frustration, running his fingers through his hair and tugging sharply, trying to get himself under control. Midorima forced himself to take several deep breaths, despite the way his hands were shaking. “Wait! I can borrow Imouto’s umbrella, that will at least get me to the combini without getting too wet…”

Rushing down the hallway, Midorima pounded on his little sister’s door. It opened a tiny crack and a big, green eye peered out at his knees. 

“Aniki!” Imouto flung herself out of the door, wrapping her arms around Midorima’s leg. “Did you hear the sky rumbling?”

Oh. Right. In Midorima’s flustered state, he’d forgotten that his little sister was afraid of storms. “I did, Imouto, but there’s nothing to worry about. Mother is downstairs and she’d be happy to have your help with the beans.”

Imouto pouted. “I don’t want to help peel beans. I want you to read me a story.”

Midorima checked his watch. “Fine, but it has to be a short story and you have to let me borrow your umbrella when I’m done reading it. Deal?”

“Deal!”

Midorima sat at the edge of Imouto’s futon and the little girl crawled into his lap. He only made it halfway through _The Boy Who Drew Cats_ before Imouto was snoring softly against his chest. She never made it all the way through a story. After gently tucking her in, Midorima grabbed the small, purple umbrella from among his little sister’s things and darted for the door. 

As he bolted down the steps, Midorima called in the direction of the kitchen, “Mother, I’m leaving for the game, Imouto is asleep in her room, I’ll see you tonight!” Then the front door was behind him and he was sprinting for the combini. Imouto’s umbrella really only kept his head dry; he was far too tall for such a small umbrella to accomplish much. Fortunately, the combini was nearby and he wasn’t quite drenched by the time he arrived. He said a small prayer to the god of waterproof gym bags as he nearly fell through the automatic doors. 

It was still early for a weekend, so the shop didn’t have many customers. Midorima breathed a sigh of relief, momentarily thankful for the lack of a queue, until he spotted the bin that normally held umbrellas for sale. It was empty. 

“Excuse me?” He approached the counter, trying to get the attention of the middle-aged woman working the register. “It seems that you’re sold out of umbrellas. Are there more in the back?”

“No, I’m sorry, young man! I just sold the last one. With a storm rolling in, they go fast.”

Midorima frowned. “Yes, that makes sense. Thank you anyway.” He left the shop, already dreading the walk to the school in the increasing downpour. 

Crouching down outside of the combini, he propped the purple umbrella on one shoulder and tried to massage some patience into his sore temples. It was obvious that the stars were against him today. 

Suddenly, the rain that had been drumming on his sister’s umbrella cut off. Midorima looked up to see Takao standing behind him, holding out a spare umbrella with a price tag still attached. 

Midorima raised one eyebrow. “What are you doing here?”

“Making sure our star player doesn’t arrive wet and late for the first game of the year.” Takao grinned and held out the umbrella. It was almost the same shade of green as Midorima’s hair. “Go on.”

Midorima took the umbrella gratefully, a wave of warmth toward his friend washing through him. Of course Takao would know that an umbrella was his lucky item. Takao was thoughtful, even if he was annoying and over-enthusiastic. 

“We might as well walk together, huh?” Takao was bouncing on the balls of his feet, smiling up at his taller teammate. 

“I suppose.” Midorima folded his sister’s umbrella and tucked it into his gym bag. 

The walk to the school was as dry as it could be, given the puddles that had already formed on the pavement. Takao kept up a constant stream of chatter, but Midorima barely heard him, distracted as he was by the twisting in his stomach. They weren’t going to make it early. They’d be lucky to have time to change before the game started. 

Midorima wouldn’t have time to track down Kagami and tell him...tell him whatever it was that he intended to tell him. That he missed him, that he was thinking about him? No, it was more than that. The place that Kagami had occupied in Midorima’s life during the summer had been filled with a dull ache, a sweet longing. Midorima shook his head. 

A rushed dash through the school to the locker room and Midorima and Takao joined their teammates in getting dressed. Midorima shook off the new green umbrella as well as he could; since it would be coming out on the court with them, he didn’t want to leave a puddle. Then the Captain was herding them out of the locker room to the basketball court, shouting threats and grumbling about the squeak of damp shoes on the shining floors. 

The Shutoku team filed neatly to their side of the court, where they were given a rundown of their strategy for the game. As usual, Midorima would be their main scorer and it was Takao’s job to keep his Eagle Eye on Kuroko. It may have only been a practice game, but everyone was treating it with seriousness. 

The two teams lined up on the court, waiting for the start of the game. Kagami was set to guard Midorima, of course. Midorima tried to keep his face straight and cold, but couldn’t help the slight blush that crept into his cheeks when Kagami winked at him. 

The game started and both teams exploded into action. They had been training all summer, practicing every day, and it showed. Lean muscle and sweat drove across the court nearly too quickly for the naked eye to follow. It was a brutal game, grueling and exhausting, but in the end Shutoku came out on top. The final buzzer sounded on a score of 101-99, with one of Midorima’s three’s putting Shutoku in the lead. 

Seirin and Shutoku faced in the middle of the court, bowing and expressing their thanks, before filing back into their respective locker rooms. 

Midorima’s head was full of static and his fingertips were numb. He’d played his best and come out on top and he was proud. However, Kagami wasn’t looking at him. Or, more accurately, Kagami looked up just in time to see Takao throw himself around Midorima’s midsection in a sudden and unexpected hug. Midorima shook his teammate off as quickly as he could, but he was afraid the damage had already been done. 

Back in the locker room, Midorima showered quickly and changed back into his street clothes: khaki slacks and a blue button-down shirt. He was packing his sweaty basketball clothes into his gym bag when he noticed that the notification light on his phone was blinking. A text must have arrived while he was showering. 

Painful nerves clenched Midorima’s stomach but he forced himself to take a deep breath and check his messages. If there was a problem, there would be very little gained by putting it off. With trembling fingers, he flipped open his phone. 

**Kagami Taiga: meet me in the storage room on the second floor. we need 2 talk.**

Midorima took one shuddering breath, then shouldered his bag and headed for the stairs. The stars were definitely not in his favor today.


	14. In the Storage Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For those of you concerned about Kagami's angry text, I offer the warning that this is a smut and fluff chapter. ^_^

The hallways on the second floor were empty. Technically, Midorima wasn’t supposed to be wandering around the school after the game. It seemed as though the administration trusted them, though, as there wasn’t anyone keeping an eye on the halls. 

Midorima kept his composure as he stalked the empty halls, pulling his icy, indifferent mask into place. If Kagami was that angry over a practice game or the innocent enthusiasm of a teammate, Midorima certainly wasn’t going to let his feelings show. 

The storage room was in a back corner, poorly lit by the damp sunlight coming through the windows. Midorima wondered why exactly Kagami wanted to meet in such a desolate location. Was Kagami planning on yelling and didn’t want anyone to overhear? Midorima clenched his teeth against the rising tide of sickness inside him as he reached out one hand to open the storage room door. 

The room appeared to be empty, so Midorima stepped inside, intending to wait politely for Kagami to show up. Maybe he’d had to stay for a talk from their Coach or something. 

As soon as it began to swing shut, Kagami pounced from behind the door, pushing Midorima against the opposite wall with his significant weight. 

Midorima let out a small and rather undignified yelp of surprise that was quickly cut off by Kagami’s mouth. Momentarily pushing aside his confusion and annoyance, Midorima let himself enjoy the feeling of Kagami’s tongue sliding against his own for what he thought might be the last time. 

Kagami had different plans. His kiss became frantic and sloppy, moving down to Midorima’s neck and across his collarbone. Kagami’s thick hands pawed at the front of Midorima’s shirt, fumbling with the buttons. 

Gasping for breath and fighting back the urge to moan, Midorima finally managed words. “Kagami, what are you doing?”

Kagami didn’t answer, but managed to get Midorima’s shirt open and moved his kisses south. Lips, tongue, and teeth moved down Midorima’s torso, nipping, licking, and sucking a messy trail across his chest and down his toned stomach. 

“Kagami!” Midorima’s voice sounded slightly panicked as Kagami’s hands reached for his belt buckle. “What’s gotten into you?”

A sound that could only be described as a growl came from Kagami. “If you want me to stop, say so. Otherwise, shut up.” The words were harsh and clipped, but full of need. 

Midorima’s face flushed red and he opened his mouth to say something biting in return, but then realized that he didn’t want Kagami to stop. His body was aching, driven into a frenzy by Kagami’s mouth and impatient hands. He wanted release. Instead of the snide remark that had been on his tongue, Midorima’s reply was to run his slender fingers along Kagami’s jawline.

With an approving grunt, Kagami opened the front of Midorima’s trousers, tugging them down impatiently. Once the khaki fabric was pooled around Midorima’s ankles, Kagami moved his hands to Midorima’s erection, straining as it was against the green plaid boxers that were keeping it in check. A few rough and eager strokes and he was tugging the boxers down, too. 

Midorima had enough sense to be embarrassed as he stepped out of the bottom half of his clothing, leaving him wearing nothing but his unbuttoned shirt and socks. What if someone came up here? What if...Midorima’s thoughts scattered as Kagami’s hand wrapped around his member, the redhead’s grip warm and calloused. He tossed his head back in pleasure, eyes closed tight against the bashfulness that was creeping into the edges of his consciousness. 

“Kagami…” Midorima gasped, struggling to form coherent words. “What…?”

Then Kagami’s hot, wet mouth was taking him in. 

Kagami’s silken tongue rolled over the head of Midorima’s member, slowly at first, like he was tasting some forbidden delicacy. He let Midorima’s length slide into his mouth, deeper and deeper, until the taller boy’s erection was straining against the back of his throat.

A rather disreputable sound exited Midorima’s lips, half strangled shout and half pure enjoyment. He’d never felt anything like this, like the heat and wetness and softness of Kagami’s mouth. He spared a moment to be thankful that he’d taken the time to shower before coming to meet up with his boyfriend...his glorious, amazing boyfriend…

Kagami tugged down the front of his own shorts with his left hand, leaving his right wrapped around the part of Midorima’s member that he couldn’t reach with his mouth. Kneeling on the bare cement floor in front of Midorima, he began working his own length with his off hand, his moans muffled by the hardness driving down his throat. 

Midorima’s eyes widened as he realized what Kagami was doing, that his boyfriend was clearly enjoying this. He’d never expected Kagami do to such a thing, honestly. By the stars, he’d only had the barest knowledge that people in general did such things, pieced together by talk he’d overheard in the locker room. The idea that not only did Kagami want Midorima’s erection in his mouth, but that he was enjoying it… That idea was doing funny things to Midorima’s body. He’d already had that sweet lava pooling in his stomach, but looking down at Kagami’s head moving up and down his length caused a completely different flame inside him. Leaning back against the shelves of supplies, bracing his weight, Midorima made himself as comfortable as he could, intent on enjoying it. 

Kagami pulled back just long enough to mutter, “You look even taller from here…” His dark eyes were liquid, pupils wide enough to nearly swallow the deep red of his irises.

Midorima nearly choked at how beautiful Kagami was like this. Then a slight smile tugged at his lips. Kagami enjoyed his height? Midorima stretched, reaching his hands up to grip the shelf above his head, then propped one foot on Kagami’s shoulder.

The effect on Kagami was immediate. A low groan tore through him and his rhythm became choppy and uneven. He took Midorima as deeply as he could into his throat, gagging slightly on the taller boy’s length. He seemed desperate, animalistic.

The moans and soft choking sounds, coupled with the tight heat of Kagami’s throat, took Midorima over the edge. Suddenly he was shouting, completely uncaring if someone heard, pouring his ecstasy into Kagami’s mouth, groaning in pleasure at the sight of his boyfriend swallowing him. In his haze, he watched with half-lidded eyes as the redhead’s bulky frame shuddered as he released onto the dusty floor.

Then Kagami was sitting back on his heels, panting softly, wiping his mouth with the back of one hand. He looked down at the mess on the floor and gave a gormless grin before moving to ruffle his hair. Apparently realizing that his hand was sticky, he chuckled and lowered it to his side instead, a slight touch of color on his cheeks. 

Midorima reached down and ran his long fingers through Kagami’s sweat-damp hair and down his neck, encouraging his boyfriend to stand with gentle pressure at the base of his jaw. Kagami stood and pulled the band of his shorts back to his waist, leaving Midorima very conscious of his nudity. 

Holding out one finger in a silent entreaty, Midorima swooped down to tug on his boxers, his face burning scarlet. He looked up to see Kagami watching him in amusement. Pushing aside the embarrassment and shame starting to edge into him, Midorima fell into Kagami’s waiting arms, nuzzling into the familiar masculine scent of his boyfriend. 

“I missed you.” Midorima mumbled the words into Kagami’s muscular shoulder.

Big, strong hands tangled in Midorima’s silky emerald hair. “Missed you too.” Kagami pushed his face into the crook of Midorima’s neck and inhaled deeply. “Sorry about all this. I couldn’t wait.”

Midorima laughed softly, fighting back the tears that suddenly stung at him. He’d thought Kagami was angry, that he was headed here for a breakup. “You never answered me, idiot. What got into you?” The heat from Kagami’s face was palpable against the sensitive skin of Midorima’s neck. Was Kagami blushing?

Kagami leaned back slightly to look into Midorima’s shining green eyes. He was, in fact, blushing but he didn’t let that stop him. “When I saw you on the court today, it reminded me of when we first met. Remember?”

“Of course. You wrote on my hand.” Midorima smiled slightly at the memory. He’d been so incredibly angry at the time.

“I wanted to make sure you’d never forget me.”

“There’s no chance I'll ever forget you, Kagami.”

Kagami reddened again, slightly, his dark skin masking most of the color. “Watching you play drives me crazy. Always has.”

Midorima’s heart sped up. He felt the same way about seeing Kagami on the court and it was extremely flattering to hear the words from his boyfriend’s mouth. 

“The way you move…” Kagami was still talking, running his calloused fingertips down Midorima’s throat and across those pale shoulders. “You get so cold and efficient and I…” Kagami’s dark eyes searched Midorima’s face. “I...I wanted you towering over me.”

A shiver chased through Midorima, hard enough to make his stomach flip. Kagami always made him feel so slight in comparison to all that bulk. Was it possible that his height had the same effect on Kagami? A smirk crept on to his face and he arched one eyebrow before leaning in to kiss Kagami, deeply and slowly, savoring the taste of himself on his boyfriend’s lips. Midorima hadn’t known that he had it in him to be so possessive, and to take such joy in it. Kagami was his. He suddenly understood the dark look that he had seen on Kagami’s face when Takao hugged him.

Kagami pulled back with a smile, the small gold flecks in his eyes twinkling like stars. 

“I love you.” The words left Midorima’s mouth thoughtlessly, driven by the stars in Kagami’s eyes or the stars above his head. 

Kagami’s eyes shone brighter than the sun. His voice was choked when he replied. “Yeah, I love you too, Mido. Have for a while.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Midorima fought down his embarrassment and anger. This was too important.

“Didn’t want to scare you off.” Kagami shrugged like hiding his feelings was no big deal.

“Idiot.”

“That’s me.” Kagami laughed. “You gonna help me clean up or…?” He gestured around at the items on the shelves that had been knocked over by Midorima’s tall frame and the sticky puddle on the floor. 

“I’ll tidy up the disorder I caused, despite the fact that this is all your fault.” Midorima began straightening the classroom supplies he’d jostled in the throes of passion.

Kagami laughed again, big and booming. “Oh, I’m sorry. Next time I won’t surprise you with any blowjobs.”

Midorima flushed red, thankful that his face was turned away from Kagami. “I certainly didn’t say that.”

A soft grunt of approval came from Kagami. “You liked it.”

“Of course I did, idiot.” Midorima’s temper was fraying quickly. He wasn’t used to talking about such lewd things. Then Kagami’s body was pressing against him from behind, the redhead’s excitement nudging against his rear. 

“Good.” The word was breathed against Midorima’s neck, leaving him shivering when Kagami pulled away to finish putting the storage room to rights. 

They parted ways after cleaning up and dressing, slinking out of the upper floor at intervals to not get caught. Midorima stopped in the locker room to make sure that his hair wasn’t too mussed. Looking in the mirror, he noticed a slight dark mark on his neck, like a pale bruise. Fortunately, his collar covered it for the most part.

Leaving the school, Midorima found Takao waiting outside for him. He waved and bounced upon seeing Midorima, shouting, “Shin-chan! I thought we could walk back together, too!”

Midorima was suddenly extremely conscious of the mark on his neck and the scent of Kagami still clinging to his skin. “No thank you, Takao. I think I’ll walk alone.” He strode past his teammate with his eyes fixed on the sidewalk ahead of him, hoping that Takao wouldn’t guess what he’d been up to. Midorima couldn’t help the spring in his step, however, or the slight smile that tugged at his normally serious face. 

Kagami loved him. Maybe that’s why his morning had been so awful; the stars had something so wonderful in store for him that his luck had to balance out.


	15. Just More Five Minutes

School wound on and both Seirin and Shutoku were playing so well that it looked like they would meet in the semi-finals. Midorima spent most of his time either practicing or studying but, unlike last year, he was dragging Kagami along to the latter. Their relationship had shifted slightly since they’d confessed; it was less awkward and tense, at least for Midorima. Another late afternoon found them in Midorima’s bedroom, full of Midorima’s mother’s cooking, working on their homework. 

Midorima was engrossed in his calculus text, while his mind was already darting over the organic chemistry he had to tackle next. He was so involved, in fact, that he didn’t notice that Kagami’s pencil had stopped scratching across the redhead’s pre-algebra homework.

“You’re cute when you’re concentrating.” Kagami’s comment was dismissive, but he was sitting with his chin propped in one hand, gazing at Midorima. 

“So are you,” Midorima replied without looking up. “You should try it sometime.”

Kagami sighed and flopped over backwards, landing on Midorima’s neatly made futon with a thud, arms and legs flung wide. “It’s hard to concentrate when math is so _boring_ and my boyfriend is so cute.” He pouted in Midorima’s general direction, then pouted harder when Midorima didn’t look. 

“Pouting will get you nowhere.” Midorima had so much experience with his little sister that he could recognize the sound of a sullen pout from three rooms away. “Do your homework. If you need help, ask. I don’t mind.”

Kagami rolled to his feet and in a couple strides was looking over Midorima’s shoulder. “Well yeah, it’s easy for you. I don’t even know what half of the things on your homework mean.”

“Flattery won’t get you anywhere either.” Midorima spun in his desk chair and met Kagami’s eyes. “You honestly think this is easy for me? It only looks that way because I’ve worked so hard at it. Academics require practice, just like basketball. I usually study for at least another hour after you go home.”

A look of tenderness filled Kagami’s eyes. He spun Midorima back to the open books littering the desk and began to massage his boyfriend’s shoulders. “Here, I need a break anyway. You work, I’ll rub.”

Midorima opened his mouth to argue but the sound that came out was soft and contented. He sighed. “Fine. Five minutes. Then back to algebra.”

Kagami used his thick hands to work the knots out of Midorima’s shoulders. Midorima really did work so much harder than the average high school student. While most of the basketball players had better grades than Kagami, few of them excelled, mostly due to the time demands of practice. Midorima generally only got five hours of sleep, between staying up late to study and getting up early to run. 

Midorima let himself relax into Kagami’s gentle massage, even as he scribbled away at his calculus work. Kagami was sweet, even if this was just a ploy to put off doing math. Midorima knew that Kagami wasn’t very bright, academically speaking, but the redhead had so many other positive qualities. His kind heart, his easy laugh, his adventurous spirit, his soft lips… Midorima jumped at the feeling of Kagami’s lips on his neck. He turned to face his boyfriend and glared. 

“What?” Kagami’s face was all injured innocence. 

Midorima rolled his eyes. “You know what.” He crossed his arms and raised one eyebrow expectantly. 

Kagami sighed dramatically. “It’s a stupid rule!”

“Kagami, it’s for your own good. No...intimacy...until your homework is done.”

They had this argument nearly every night.

“I’ll be able to concentrate better if I’m not thinking of you naked.” Kagami raked his eyes up and down Midorima’s body, a small grin tugging at his generous mouth. 

“Then stop thinking about me naked and think about algebra!” Midorima blushed slightly and shifted uncomfortably. He loved knowing that he distracted Kagami’s thoughts, even though he knew that his boyfriend should be paying attention to homework. 

Kagami caressed Midorima’s cheek with one hand, smiling down at that blushing face. “You sure?” His voice was purposely low and sweet. 

Midorima adjusted his glasses and tried his best to look serious. “Fine. Five minutes. Then we really do need to get back to work.” His voice was almost a whisper, his skin already tingling in anticipation. He pressed the button on the side of his tanuki watch, one that was preset for a five minute alarm for exactly this type of situation.

This particular argument ended the same way nearly every night.

With a victorious smirk, Kagami leaned into Midorima, kissing him deeply. 

Midorima shuddered. Would he never get tired of Kagami’s mouth on his? Would there ever be a point that just the whisper of Kagami’s breath against his skin didn’t fill him with electric longing? He sincerely hoped not. He wanted to spend his life like this, in Kagami’s arms. 

That thought jolted him. He’d been feeling that way for quite a while, but he’d never mentally articulated it in that way. Did he really want to spend his life with Kagami? 

Midorima opened his eyes mid-kiss only to find that Kagami was looking at him, too. He pulled back the tiniest fraction. 

“Do you always kiss me with your eyes open?” Midorima knew he was blushing, but Kagami was so beautiful from this close. 

Kagami smiled. “Mhmm. You have really pretty eyelashes.”

_Yes,_ Midorima thought, _I do want to spend my life like this._

The alarm on Midorima’s watch beeped, signaling the end of their five minute break. Kagami groaned and threw himself backwards onto Midorima’s futon before rolling over and pulling his pre-algebra book toward him.

Midorima smiled and rolled his eyes, turning back to his own homework. 

Two hours and a massive amount of grumbling later, Kagami’s work passed Midorima’s inspection. 

“Whatever did you do without me?” Midorima said, shaking his head and handing Kagami’s things over. 

Kagami shrugged. “Got bad grades and had less boners?”

Midorima flushed red. “Doesn’t your teacher wonder why your grades are suddenly good?”

“Nah. Told her I’m dating the smartest dude around.” Kagami grinned and ruffled his hair. 

After a pause, Midorima asked, “Really?”

Kagami laughed. “You’re so clueless sometimes. I love it. And you.”

“Do you have to go?” Midorima couldn’t help the tone of longing that had crept into his voice. He adjusted his glasses, feeling his cheeks burn at his straightforwardness. 

“Yeah, I have to walk home and work out before bed. Not everyone can live on horoscopes and vegetables, you know.” Kagami’s words, though teasing, were affectionate. He reached out one hand and pulled Midorima down to the floor with him. “Five minutes?”

“Five minutes,” Midorima agreed, clicking the alarm button on his watch and burrowing into Kagami’s huge arms. They kissed and touched with the kind of urgency that only two teenaged boys with a time limit could manage. Midorima fought down the screaming inside his head, wondering where on earth it had come from. It was so unlike him to be...lustful. But Kagami brought it out of him. He was breathless and aching by the time the alarm beeped. A small moan of frustration escaped his lips. 

Kagami looked mildly surprised. “Feeling alright, Mido?”

Midorima nodded, a little too quickly. “Yes, I’m fine, I just...I was wondering when you were going to cook breakfast for me again?”

It was Kagami’s turn to blush. He cleared his throat and ruffled his hair. “Um, well, practice isn’t until later on Saturday so if you wanted to sleep over Friday night we could…” He trailed off, still fluffing the back of his hair with one hand. 

_By the stars he’s adorable when he’s embarrassed._ “I’d like that. And I expect bacon. And hotcakes.”

Kagami laughed his big, merry laugh. “Done.” He stood and gave a small wave. “See ya, Mido.” Then he was gone.

Midorima stayed on his futon for a few minutes, enjoying the fact that his sheets smelled like Kagami. Then a wave of terror and excitement rolled over him. He’d just asked Kagami if he could stay over, with all of the implications that went with it. They’d be alone, all night. Instead of making Midorima frightened and shameful, as it had in the past, the idea left him filled with nothing but anticipation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to apologize for the time between chapters lately. Work and school have kept me busy. But I haven't abandoned this story and will keep updating when I can. Thank you to everyone who has been reading!


	16. Introspection and Fruit Salad

The next two days passed painfully slowly. Ridiculously, painfully slowly. School seemed to drag, something that Midorima had never experienced before. While his study sessions with Kagami and his practices with the Shutoku team definitely gave him distractions, his thoughts kept straying to his Friday night plans. Sleeping over didn’t seem like such a big deal anymore, since Kagami fell asleep at his place regularly enough that his mother had bought an extra toothbrush for the bathroom. But that was at his house, with his family in their rooms. There were kisses and stolen touches, certainly, but nothing serious.

Sleeping over at Kagami’s house held the implication at _something_ would happen. 

Midorima knew that Kagami wouldn’t push it, or him. If he got to Kagami’s house and just wanted to watch movies until they fell asleep, that would be fine. For as boisterous and enthusiastic as Kagami could be, he was very, very careful with Midorima’s boundaries.

But Midorima’s wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to have those boundaries anymore. 

The problem was that he didn’t know exactly what he was getting into. Sure, he had a basic grasp of the birds and the bees from health class but he’d really only paid enough attention to ensure that he could pass the exam. He had been sure that it would never affect his life in any way. That was, of course, before he met Kagami.

He shook his head. It’s not as if paying more attention in health class would’ve saved him. They didn’t even touch on same-sex relations. He briefly considered looking it up on the internet but shoved that idea aside almost immediately. The very thought of looking at pictures of strangers contorted in intimate embraces made him feel sick and vaguely dirty. He’d simply have to put that knowledge in Kagami’s hands and hope for the best. 

The moronic leading the blind, how perfect.

Both his teammates and Kagami himself noticed his distraction. Not that it affected his studies or his performance on the court but, perhaps, his social graces had suffered some. 

But now it was Friday. Finally. Midorima was awake before his alarm went off, before the sun had even come up, filled with restless energy. _And with plenty of time to burn it off._ He brushed his teeth, then his hair, then his teeth the second time. The sun hadn’t even peeked over the horizon by the time he was done wrapping his fingers and reading his daily horoscope. His luck was good, but not great. His lucky color was white (which, in his opinion, barely counted as a color but it wasn’t his place to question the stars). His lucky number was two. Today’s lucky item was a scarf, which was unfortunate. Autumn had just started to cool the air outside; it wasn’t nearly cold enough for winter wear yet. 

Digging through his wardrobe, Midorima came up with a blue-and-white checkered scarf made out of thin enough material that it wouldn’t be too awful. A small smile tugged at his lips as he looped it around his neck, the trailing ends tickling his bare skin. He’d get dressed after he was done checking Kagami’s horoscope. 

The lucky color for Leos was green. Midorima ran his long fingers through his hair, thinking that that was easy enough to come by. Kagami’s lucky number was also two, which was extremely fortuitous. And the Leo’s lucky item was a banana. They were out of season now but Midorima figured that he would make his morning run slightly longer in order to stop into the greengrocer. It would be worth it. As far as he could tell, Kagami hadn’t checked his Oha Asa since the time Midorima had played sick, so it was up to him to see after his boyfriend’s luck. 

He pulled his clothes on, grabbing a white tank top and some basketball shorts for his run before putting the scarf back on. After a moment’s thought, he moved the scarf to his running backpack, not wanting it to get soaked with sweat. He looped the checkered fabric through the handle at the top, so it would flow behind him like a banner as he ran, getting the attention of the gods. Nodding his approval, he snuck out of the house, not wanting to wake his mother or sister.

Once his shoes were on (right first, then left, bunny rhyme, cuff the socks once), Midorima’s feet hit the pavement with a vengeance. As the slightly cool air ran through his hair, he let the roaring wind pull the nebulous worries, frustration, and eagerness right out of his head. Suddenly, all that existed was the pavement beneath his feet, the wind on his face, and the pleasant ache of his muscles warming with exertion. Miles disappeared underneath his long legs. He almost didn’t notice when the greengrocer came into view.

His slowed steps allowed the exertion to catch up with him, making his breath come heavily and sweat trickle down his face, dripping from his hair. With a shrug, he stepped into the refrigerated coolness of the shop, heading straight for the tropical fruits. He gathered up some pineapples and melon in addition to the bananas, thinking that a nice fruit salad would be a great way to sneak Kagami’s lucky item in. And offset a little of the unhealthy cooking that the redhead was prone to. 

Midorima ran home with the produce in his backpack, moving a little slower than usual to avoid jostling them too much. 

The next hour passed at a crawl. Midorima had gotten his studying for the night out of the way yesterday, knowing that it would be impossible to concentrate at Kagami’s house. He made the fruit salad and packed it in a green plastic container, smiling at his ingenuity. Then stared at his ceiling for a while, trying to drag his mind from the dark corners that it so rarely visited...and had never ventured to before Kagami had come into his life. Realizing that this wasn’t accomplishing anything but making him uncomfortable, Midorima hoisted himself off his futon and sat at his desk with a book.

School dragged by with all of the rapidity of molasses. 

Eventually, what felt like eons later, the final bell rang. Midorima bolted from the class with what dignity he could muster, even as his stomach started to tie itself in knots. Takao was waiting for him next to his locker. 

“Hey, Shin-chan! Do you want to…” he began with his normal bubbling enthusiasm. 

Holding up one hand, Midorima cut him off. “No, I don’t. I have plans this evening.”

Takao took in Midorima’s appearance. The neat white dress shirt and scarf weren’t out of the ordinary, but the few strands of hair out of place were. That wasn’t even mentioning the slight blush that was lurking around the tall boy’s slender cheeks. 

“Ohhhh.” Takao said with a snicker.

“What?” Midorima snapped, his patience already wearing thin. 

Takao folded his hands together under his chin, making over-dramatic moon-eyes up at Midorima. “Tonight’s the night, isn’t it?”

“What night? What are you talking about? I swear, if I’m late because of your inanities…” Midorima let himself trail off with a meaningful glare but Takao only laughed and shook his head. 

“Nothing, Shin-chan. Just make sure you go easy, huh? We have practice tomorrow and it’ll suffer if you’re injured.” Takao laughed again, slapping Midorima companionably on the shoulder. 

Midorima, perhaps because of his increased time around Kagami, managed to catch the strange tone in Takao’s voice and the way he didn’t quite meet his eyes but he hadn’t the faintest clue what to do about it or even why it was happening. “I have no idea what you’re referring to,” he said instead, his words clipped and cold. Shaking off Takao’s hand, he shoved the small thermal container full of fruit salad into his gym bag and strode off. 

_Injured? What was Takao talking about?_ Nervousness that hadn’t bothered him much in weeks welled up inside his stomach, stealing some of the urgency from his steps. Surely Kagami wouldn’t hurt him. Nodding, he realized he was just trying to convince himself. Honestly, he was headed into a frightening unknown, with only his trust in Kagami to light the way. The stars didn’t have much to say on the subject of when it’s right to, well, be very intimate. The Oha Asa’s prediction of good luck and their shared lucky number of two was as close as he would get to a sign. Man proposes, God disposes. 

But...did he trust Kagami? Midorima nodded to himself again, barely paying attention to his route through the school then down the road that led to his boyfriend’s house, but there was a little hesitance to it. Trusting didn’t come easily to him. It was far safer to keep a distance from others. So even though he felt that he _could_ trust Kagami, he wasn’t sure if he _did_.

Before he knew it, he was at Kagami’s front door, having worked himself up so much that he was just as uncertain as the first time he’d knocked. Just like that first time, his knuckles hovered over the wood of the door, trembling and scared. Unlike last time, the door swung open before he had the chance to knock. 

Kagami’s smiling face took Midorima’s breath away, making his heart swell with love. 

After a few moments, Kagami reached up and ruffled the back of his hair. “Do you wanna come in or…?”

Man proposes, God disposes.

“Yes, of course. Idiot.”


	17. A Confession of Guilt

Midorima barely tasted the dinner that Kagami had made for them. He was vaguely aware that it was chicken, probably, prepared with some kind of sauce. There were vegetables as well, which caused a moment of distant surprise. He offered up the tub of fruit salad for dessert, which Kagami served with a smile. Only when Midorima’s fork clanked against an empty plate did his eyes focus. 

“Mido, are you okay?” Kagami asked, his voice coming from a million miles away. 

Midorima nodded, once, then swallowed his nerves long enough to speak. “Yes, I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

Kagami ran his hand through his hair in an unusual gesture. It took Midorima a moment to realize where he’d seen that nervous motion before: in the mirror. 

“You just...you’re acting weird, Mido. Like, weirder than usual.” Kagami sighed, then plowed on. “You have been since we made plans for tonight. If you didn’t want to come over, you didn’t have to, you know.” He smiled his big, gormless smile. “People change their minds, it’s cool.”

Midorima couldn’t help the blush that rose to his cheeks. “I know. I want to be here. And I am sorry if I treated you poorly. I’ve been…” He waffled one hand in the air, then moved his fingers to run through his hair. “...distracted.”

“Distracted?” 

The look of genuine concern on Kagami’s face made Midorima feel guilty. His own lack of communicative capability had his boyfriend thinking that something was wrong. And, yes, he had his concerns but they certainly weren’t Kagami’s fault. If anything, they were Takao’s, for planting the seeds of doubt. And if he were honest with himself, they weren’t even at the forefront of his thoughts. He was haunted with memories of Kagami’s too-warm skin, the way his boyfriend’s mouth felt on his… He cut off that train of thought.

Pushing himself back from the table, Midorima rolled to his feet. “Can we discuss this somewhere more comfortable?”

“Uh, sure.” Kagami stood as well and, after scooping up the dishes and dumping them into the sink, he followed Midorima down the hallway to the bedroom.

As soon as Kagami sunk down to sit on the bed next to him, Midorima burrowed into his arms. “Is this alright?” he asked, a little tentatively. 

“Totally.” Kagami wrapped his big arms around Midorima’s narrow torso and pulled him closer, until the taller boy was almost sitting in his lap. “Now what’s going on?”

Midorima sighed. “I’ve been thinking about you. A lot.”

Kagami’s low chuckle shook his chest. “And that’s why you’re so distracted? I’m flattered.” A small kiss planted in that emerald hair and a tightening of arms. “I think about you a lot, too, Mido.”

“It’s distracting. How can you stand it?” Midorima’s words were a little muffled by Kagami’s t-shirt, his face was pressed so close. Close enough, in fact, that he immediately noticed the increase in the redhead’s heart rate and body temperature. “Are you blushing?”

“Heh, yeah.” Kagami chuckled again and moved his hand long enough to ruffle his hair. He cleared his throat. “What do you mean, how can I stand it?”

Thankful for the closeness they were sharing (and the fact that he didn’t have to look Kagami in the eyes in his position), Midorima nuzzled his face against Kagami’s broad chest, breathing in the masculine scent. “Doesn’t it drive you crazy?” From the low rumble in Kagami’s chest and the hardness pressing against his leg, Midorima thought he already knew the answer to that question. 

Kagami’s left hand moved slightly, inching toward Midorima’s waist. “Well yeah. I just jerk off a lot more than I used to.”

Midorima remained silent, his eyebrows furrowed, even more thankful that Kagami couldn’t see his expression. 

“Mido? I’m sorry, did I...does that bother you?”

A small shake of his head, hiding the fact that the gears in Midorima’s brain were spinning wildly, trying to place Kagami’s choice of words within his frame of reference, desperately searching for meaning. Words said in the locker room, joking tones, hand motions. The pieces fell into place in a rush, leaving him dizzy with the blood rushing to his face. “I...you do that?” He swallowed, fighting with the mixture of feelings warring inside of him. Embarrassment, yes, but also...curiosity. Excitement. The last piece fell into place. “And you think about me?”

Kagami laughed his big, honest laugh, shaking Midorima’s entire body with the force of it. “Yeah, I think about you. You’re beautiful.”

Feeling like he was maybe pushing this line of discussion too far but being too curious to not, Midorima asked, “What do you think about us doing?” When Kagami didn’t answer immediately, those familiar pangs of nauseous tension began coiling in his gut. 

Kagami’s hand slid a little lower, past Midorima’s waist, until it settled on his hip. “A lot of things.” Kagami’s voice was thick, heavy. “Stuff we’ve done. Stuff I’d like to do. You know.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Oh.”

Midorima’s nerves managed to crank up another few notches. Was it weird that he didn’t...do that? From the talk in the locker room, it probably was. But Kagami knew him well enough by now, right? Maybe not. Maybe Kagami would be repulsed by his lack of sex drive. Midorima could feel his face becoming cold as he subconsciously braced himself. What did it even matter if this idiot thought he was a freak? A wave of sickness crashed through him with that thought but that only made him steel himself harder. 

Kagami’s right hand moved to the silken emerald sheet of Midorima’s hair, stroking gently. “I guess I’ll just have to show you what I think about, huh?”

A rush of gratitude left Midorima dizzy and vulnerable. The hazy thoughts that had been lurking around the dark corners of his mind became more insistent. He wanted that. He wanted to know, he wanted to experience all of the things Kagami knew about and he didn’t. 

Breathing in Kagami’s masculine, reassuring scent, his voice still muffled by t-shirt, Midorima said, “I’d like that very much, Kagami.”

Kagami groaned, bone-deep, and both of his hands went to Midorima’s waist. He hoisted the taller boy with ease, moving him fully on to his lap. Midorima, finding himself suddenly straddling his boyfriend, couldn’t help but blush. 

“Mido…” Kagami’s voice was rough with need. “...if I do anything you don’t like, just tell me and I’ll stop, okay? I promise. I won’t be mad or pushy or anything.”

With a small nod, Midorima reached out to touch Kagami’s face, running his long, slender fingers over the blushing, tanned cheeks then down to the redhead’s generous mouth. Kagami kissed Midorima’s fingertips, nipping gently at the digits that were not wrapped in tape. Midorima’s heart swelled with how considerate the other teen was, how understanding and loving. They kissed, their tongues tangling together.

A small gasp escaped Midorima as Kagami’s hardness pressed against his rear. “Kagami…”

“Hmm?” 

The stars shone in Kagami’s dark eyes but they were slowly being swallowed by the black holes of his pupils, liquid nebulae consumed with desire. 

“I…I want...” Midorima realized that he didn’t have the words to express what he wanted. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration with a sigh. Finally, he settled on the most straightforward way he could think to express his desire. “I want _you_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was partially inspired by the Blaqk Audio song "Again, Again and Again" ;;>_>


End file.
